Fairy Tale Romances Leverage Style
by bluecinderella4
Summary: Various Leverage members, plus reccuring characters, offer different fairy tale fantasies to Nate and Sophie's relationship.
1. Prologue

**I suffer from sleep deprivation or something; but somehow in states of semi-consciousness while struggling to sleep, I randomly get these detailed setups of Nate/Sophie plot (or other random stuff I can't really describe). This is yet another one. Like the other one, it sounds kinda stupid when describing it, however, when explained further it seems as though it could work. Here's hopin'.**

**Basic Summary: Various members of Leverage, plus some recurring characters, each have a modern-like fairy tale version (not so much modern for Parker and another character, trust me) of Nate and Sophie's romance with minor Nate and Sophie moments sub plotted before and after the major plotted fairy tales. Seven fairy tales total, eight perspectives, nine chapters counting this one.**

**You'll see.**

* * *

It was becoming more and more obvious to Eliot, Parker, and Hardison that something had happened between Nate and Sophie since their return. The two weren't bickering around each other as often as before, and Nate seemed a bit protective of Sophie when they were doing jobs. So, naturally, the younger three had to get to the bottom of it.

Eliot waited until Nate left his place before sneaking in. He was more than surprised to find Hardison on the other side of Nate's door when he entered. "Dammit Hardison!"

"Eliot? Man, what are you doing here?"

"Same thing you're doing here," Parker came down the stairs. "We all wanna figure out what's going on between Nate and Sophie."

"How does she do that?" Eliot whispered to Hardison.

"Parker, girl, how'd you get in here?" Hardison inquired.

"I waited downstairs," she explained. "When I heard Nate wake up, I hid in the closet. When he went to the bathroom, I snuck upstairs. I didn't find anything in his room that could be a dead giveaway."

"Well, it's Nate," Eliot reminded, "nothing Nate does is obvious. It's gotta be little, more subtle things."

"I did find a hidden cabinet shelf in the corner of his closet."

"For real?" Hardison asked.

"Yeah, it's nothing like I expected."

"Don't keep us in suspense. What'd you find?"

"Disney movies and a book of fairy tales. The book had Sam's name in it, so I'm guessing it was Sam's. How come Disney never made a movie about _The Twelve Dancing Princesses_, or _The Princess and the Pea_, or the one about the guy with the funny name?"

"Technically the musical _Once Upon a Mattress _was distributed by Disney and that's _The Princess and the Pea_ attempting to be funny with music. Not bad, actually; I recommend it."

"Can we get back to business please?" Eliot attempted to get the two to focus.

"Why are we here again?" Parker asked Hardison.

"We're lookin' for clues to see what's up with Nate and Sophie," Hardison replied.

"I'm here to confirm suspicions," Eliot responded.

"Confirm what suspicions?" Parker inquired.

"It's obvious they're together-"

"-well, maybe to you but not to me and Hardison."

"I have a sneaking suspicion she might be knocked up."

"Knocked up on what?"

"There's somethin' wrong with you."

"Aw come on, Eliot," Hardison seemed to be in disbelief. "Do you know how often we're with them doin' cons? Where would they even find the time?"

"San Lorenzo. The night we celebrated Moreau's imprisonment, we don't know where those two went off."

"Aw, Hell. That seems logical."

"What?" Parker still didn't understand. "Did Nate drug Sophie or something?"

"No Parker," Sophie and Nate had entered the apartment. "Nate didn't drug me," she turned to Eliot and Hardison, "or knock me up."

"There's a difference?" Parker was still confused.

"So, what's goin' on?" Eliot wanted to get to the truth.

"You want to tell them?" Nate asked Sophie.

"You tell them, you tried to keep it a secret," she coyly replied.

Nate sighed. "Sophie and I are dating."

"YAY!" Parker jumped up and down.

"It's about time, baby," Hardison smirked his smirk and chuckled.

"Knew it," Eliot seemed pleased with himself. "Why did you try to keep it a secret?"

"Well, I wanted to wait until we'd been together at least a few weeks, maybe months," Nate explained.

"He also thought you guys wouldn't approve," Sophie added. "For once, I was right about something."

"Do y'all know how long we've wanted you two to get together?" Hardison questioned them.

"I've had my suspicions," Nate went to the kitchen to pour him some coffee.

"I'm so happy for you guys," Parker ran over and gave Sophie a hug. "Now you can get married and have a baby!"

Hardison and Eliot's eyes widened in shock by Parker's statement, while Nate spat out his coffee.

"Parker," Sophie began, "things like a relationship take time. Even if Nate and I have known each other for over fifteen years, we have to build a more personal, intimate relationship before we get married and start a family."

"Like a fairy tale relationship?"

"Fairy tales don't exist, Parker," Nate's comment seemed to make Parker upset.

"But fairy tales have the perfect romances," Parker retorted. "I want you guys to have the perfect romance too."

"Aw, thank you Parker," Sophie gave Parker a small hug.

"A baby between you two would also be kinda nice," Hardison suggested.

"Why should Sophie and I have a baby when we have you three?" Nate sarcastically replied.

"That's a lil' bit cold there, Nate."

"Why are you so into fairy tales, Parker?" Sophie asked changing the subject.

"Parker, were you in my closet?" Nate questioned.

"What else was I supposed to do until you left?" Parker questioned back.

* * *

**I hope they seem in character; Nate is so hard to write for.**

**I obviously have a basic outline of what to do, so I'm going to continue.**


	2. Eliot's Fantasy

**Okay let me start by saying the fairy tales won't necessarily be based off a (usually Disney) movie adaptation. I can say that I stick to the plot of the fairy tale as best as I can and if need be, I'll give an explanation at the end as to which one I took the most ideas from. **

**Oh yeah, italics are general point of view (because they're usually shorter) and normal font is the story. Bold dots signify the beginning/end of the fantasy.**

**Let's start with Eliot. Why? Because I can. And yes, I consider this one a fairy tale because I've seen it in fairy tale books on more than one occasion.**

* * *

_The group sat around a table at_ McRory's _as Nate handed their widowed client a check._

"_Oh my God," she put her hand around her heart. "This is so much more than I had taken."_

"_We thought you might use a little extra for the family," Nate noticed a little boy waiting at his mother's side. "You'll also be happy to know that Mr. Freedman has confessed to your husband's death and will be spending some more time in prison."_

"_Thank you, Mr. Ford. How can I ever repay you?"_

"_No need. We work on an alternative revenue service."_

"_You guys are too good to be true." The lady put the check in her purse. "Come on Charlie," She took her son's hand._

"_You were right Mommy, he is like Robin Hood," the gang heard the little boy say as the two left._

"_Hear that sweetie?" Sophie chuckled as she patted Nate's hand. "You're just like Robin Hood."_

_Parker was giggling. "Nate's like a cartoon fox."_

"_No, Parker," Nate shook his head. "I'm not like Robin Hood, especially not the cartoon."_

"_Yeah, you are," Hardison assured. "You rob from the rich, give to the poor, and you're hard for the law to catch. Although I disagree with Parker, I don't think you're like the cartoon Robin Hood."_

"_Thank you, Hardison."_

"_I see you more like the Kevin Costner, non-British, workin' with Morgan Freeman,_ Prince of Thieves_, Robin Hood. With slightly better hair."_

"_I'm not like Robin Hood!"_

"_The more you deny it, the more it's true."_

"_I think you're like Robin Hood," Sophie told him._

"_You do?" Nate paused. "Which one?"_

"_Errol Flynn, of course."_

"_Errol Flynn? Well, I can see some similarities between me and that Robin Hood"_

"_Yeah, go on and agree with yo girl," Hardison seemed crushed._

"_Well Nate has to be Robin Hood because Sophie's Maid Marian," Parker smiled._

"_If I'm Maid Marian, who are the rest of you?" Sophie questioned. No one responded. "Only make one character comparison please. You can't leave out the other Robin Hood characters."_

"_Yeah, but they're not as important as Robin Hood and Maid Marian."_

"_What about Little John, the Sheriff of Nottingham, Prince John, Friar Tuck, the list goes on and on. Parker, you can't leave out the rest."_

"_Sorry, but when I think of Robin Hood, I only think of Robin Hood and Maid Marian."_

"_Y'all gotta leave out Morgan Freeman?" Hardison was again displeased._

"_What about you Eliot?" Parker turned to Eliot._

"_I could care less," Eliot responded with the usual gruffness in his tone. "As long as we do our job."_

"_You don't see anything similar between Robin Hood and Nate?"_

_Eliot thought about what Parker had said._

**_..._**

Hardison was driving through the streets of Boston in the middle of the night. He parked his car in a vacant lot and walked a block to _McRory's_. He knocked in a rhythmic pattern on the door.

"That's not it!" A gruff voice behind the door answered.

"Aw come on Johnny! It's me, dude! Let me in!"

"Get the knock right."

"That ain't fair. Man, why ya gotta play a brother like that?"

"Let him in," another male voice commanded.

The gruff voice groaned behind the door groaned. The person with the voice was Eliot. "You're lucky."

"Help the poor man, don't leave 'em stranded outside a secret lair," Hardison went over to where the other male was sitting. "Thanks, again."

The other male with the voice was Nate. "Johnny boy, you should know by now only our guys knock after hours."

"You can never be too careful, Rob," Johnny assured.

"What kept you?" Rob asked Hardison.

"A client needed some 'emotional support'," Hardison air quoted the last two words, "Girl held me hostage til she fell asleep."

"Don't let it happen again."

"Fine, next time y'all deal with the crazy women."

Parker (or a character that looked like Parker) entered from the shadows. "We have a new job, Rob?" She giggled. "That rhymed."

"Not yet," he answered. "Have you found new recruits, Scarlet?"

"Not ones we can trust."

"Thankfully I have enlisted some help. My former friend from Los Angeles, Father Paul, has relocated to Boston. He's willing to help out if necessary and he's took a vow of secrecy about our undercover operation. He's a man of his word, otherwise I wouldn't have told him. I'm gonna ask him to be our inside man."

"Not the thing with Sterling?" Johnny questioned. "Rob, he's like a cockroach. Until we put him in a maximum security prison, or unless we kill him, he'll keep coming back."

"I know Sterling's behind what happened to Bonanno," Rob was referring to ally Detective Captain Patrick Bonanno, who was mortally ambushed nearly a month ago. "Bonanno might not be dead, but that didn't stop Sterling from taking his position at the force."

"We can't stop Sterling," Scarlet seemed pessimistic. "He's too good to catch and we don't have enough evidence to link him to Bonanno's ambush or various other unsolved 'accidental' incidents."

"Plus, we're wanted," Johnny reminded, "if Sterling catches us, we're going to a maximum security prison, or he'll kill us."

"Our chances are kinda grim," Hardison commented.

"We can do it," Rob attempted to assure his crew, "Trust me, we'll stop him, and we'll get Bonanno his job back." The team was silent. "I'll take the silence as a sign of agreement. I asked you three here for two reasons. One; to celebrate cleaning out our mark, Dennis Freedman today. Drinks on the house."

"You own the place," Scarlet smiled, "drinks are always free. Right?"

"For you three, yes. The other reason I brought you here was so you can give our clients their rightful money."

"What about our rightful money?"

"Ah, yes, your pay." Rob handed three bags of cash to his team. "Don't spend it all in one place." He stood up to leave.

"Where you goin'?" Johnny inquired.

"It's been a long day, I'm gonna turn in early. I'll be upstairs if you need me, but don't need me," Rob headed out to go to his apartment above the bar. "Lock up when you're done," he reminded as he left.

"Our jobs our getting more and more riskier," Hardison noted.

"It's like he's trying to get caught," Scarlet commented.

"Maybe he is," Johnny suggested.

…

The fearsome four stood outside a corporate office in the center of Boston directly under their wanted posters. While John Little, Scarlet William, and Alec Hardison were wanted as accomplices to robberies, Rob Ford, listed by his real name Robin Ford, was wanted for robbery and a few conspiracy charges listed as well. Posters that had been put up since Sterling took office.

"Scarlet, steal whatever incriminating files you can. Hardison, get any useful information from his computer, temporarily disarm the alarm system, and maybe give his computer a virus or two. Johnny, act as a security guard and be their back up. Father Paul will distract Sterling, and I'll take whatever I can get my hands on. You know you're aliases, I hope."

"We know," Johnny assured with his gruff voice.

"Alright, go do your things." Rob waited for the three, who were dressed as if they had worked there, to enter the building and pretend to go off in separate directions before he entered. He adjusted his ear bud communicator. "Paul, you in?"

"I'm in," Father Paul headed off in the direction where the seminar in which Sterling was presenting, was being held. "Detective Captain Sterling," Paul greeted. "It's an honor to meet you. I'm Father Paul Sweeney. I've heard about your services here for the police department, and may I say I'm honored to make your acquaintance."

"Charmed," Sterling cautiously shook his hand. "You're a priest, I assume?" Paul nodded. "Tell me, what exactly is a priest doing here in an office building?"

"I was dropping something off to my friend Elizabeth, she works in accounting."

"What would that be?"

"Cell phone. She left it at my place last night."

"What church do you preach at?"

"You ask a lot of questions."

"I'm naturally curious."

"I took over for Reverend Scott at the Patriot church on Newbury."

"What happened to Reverend Scott?"

…

As Father Paul distracted Sterling, Rob and his team were doing what they were doing. Rob did his best to avoid actual security guards (and Sterling) while picking a pocket or two. However, one lady in a skirt he tried to pickpocket didn't have any pockets.

She turned around and slapped him. "Pervert."

Usually, if Rob or any of his male crew members did something like that, they would take the slap in stride and walk away. But there was something familiar about this woman Rob couldn't ignore, a woman who looked like Sophie Devereaux. "Sorry," he called to her.

She gasped as she turned around. "Rob?"

"Hi, Marian."

She moved closer to him. "Robin Ford?" She touched his face. "They shot you right in front me! You died in my arms." As he moved closer to her, she slapped him harder in the face.

"OW!"

"You faked your death?"

"Well, sorta, I actually got shot."

"Then you left me! You abandoned me eight years ago!"

"I did it to protect you."

"I can take care of myself, you know that. You and I were going to get married."

"They were going to kill you!"

"What about you saying you would die without me? I almost didn't listen to you when you told me to move on, I was ready to end my life too so we could be reunited."

"I wanted to come back to you! I was being followed, they were going to keep their word and kill you. So I fled. What else was I supposed to do?"

"Take me with you!"

Rob stood there with nothing to say. Marian was right. "I…I'm sorry."

"It's too late to apologize. I am never going to forgive you, for what you did." She started to leave.

"Sure you will," she stopped as he walked closer to her. She shuddered when she felt his breath on her neck. "You still love me." And with that statement, he walked away and left her standing there with nothing to say. Rob was right.

…

Later that evening, while Robin Ford and his team were giving back to the poor, Sterling sat alone in his apartment overlooking security footage from the building where he held his seminar. After a security breach occurred, and money and files disappeared, the corporation was taking no chances.

"Wait a tick," Sterling paused footage from outside of the building. Father Paul was shaking hands with someone unfamiliar. Sterling zoomed in on the unknown man's face. He stared into his eyes. "Oh, I've got you now, Robin Ford."

…

"Rob?" Scarlet snapped her fingers to try to break Rob out of some sort of trance. "You okay?"

"Huh?" He looked up at her. "Yeah, I'm fine. What, uh, what were you saying?"

"We got a message from Father Paul." Scarlet showed Rob the e-mail message.

_Rob,_

_This is something, I know you of all people wouldn't be able to resist. The company that is partially responsible for the death of an 8 year old boy is holding a new chess competition with a cash prize of $5000. I signed you up as Nate Spencer._

_Work your magic._

_Paul_

"It's definitely a trap," Johnny looked over the message. "I say we don't-"

"-we take it!" Rob stated.

"Excuse you?" Hardison inquisitively raised his eyebrow.

"I know Paul. He's making us think this is a trap, hoping that we don't go. That's how he got me to do a bunch of stupid stuff when we were younger. Reverse psychology. But just to be sure, run it."

Hardison did some research. "It's legit. Starts in forty-five minutes."

"Let's go steal us a chess tournament. Oh, and whatever incriminating stuff you can find on the company."

…

Sterling cautiously searched the premises. He pulled aside one of the judges. "This is in no way shape or form an actual competition. I'm here to catch a fugitive. No matter what happens, I win. Got it?"

"That's cheating."

"You're assisting me in catching a criminal. I'll be sure when I catch him; you'll get a nice mention plus a little something extra."

"I don't know about this," Paul was trying to make it look like he didn't know Rob's disguise. "I sent that message hoping your crew could take down the company, I didn't actually want you to join the competition."

"You know me and chess, it's my game," Rob adjusted his hat to cover his eyes.

"Sterling's in it too."

"What?"

"He's playing. Rob, who's to say he's not gonna cheat his way to victory and catch you?"

"I'll play fair until I know for sure my team's got what they need, and then I'll stage a loss. It won't be easy for my ego, but it'll avoid me gettin' caught, and hey, maybe I'll get something for third place."

"I hope you know what you're doing."

"Will you trust me?" Rob headed in the direction where the tournament was and turned on his ear bud comm. "Hardison, you-" His heart sank when he turned his head and noticed Marian and Sterling together. His heart nearly shattered when he saw Sterling kiss her.

"I what? Rob, you okay?"

"Never mind, just do what you have to do." His eyes met Marian's eyes as he sat down at a chess table. Once she turned away, he slipped on a pair of sunglasses and turned to his opponent. "Let's play some chess."

…

The tournament was going along so much faster than anticipated that Rob's team wasn't even done. True to their words, Rob played fair, while Sterling cheated (exciting some boos from the audience when the judge took Sterling's side). But in the end, it came down to Rob and Sterling.

"Jim Sterling," Sterling introduced.

"Nate Spencer. Let's get this over with."

"You seem to be in a rush, Nate. Something troubling you?"

"I got a text from my friend saying he saw my girl with another guy. I'd like to up and leave, but I feel I have to do this fair and square."

"Fair enough." Sterling moved his first piece. "Your move, Nate."

Rob made his move, keeping his peripheral vision focused on Marian.

"You're better than I thought, Nate," Sterling complimented. "You just might beat me."

"Whatever," Rob moved another piece.

"You must really care about this girl."

Rob lowered his glasses so Marian could see his eyes. "More than she'll ever know," he pulled them up when he faced Sterling. "I guess I'm partially to blame. I shoulda paid better attention her, not abandon her emotionally, or in general. I should've married her when I could." Marian turned her head so he couldn't see her tears.

"Sure." Sterling moved. "Your move."

Rob made one final move. "Checkmate."

Sterling was shocked. "What?" He looked at the chess board. Even though he had cheated, he still lost. When he looked up to see his opponent, Rob was gone. And at this point, Sterling realized he let the fugitive get away. "NO!"

…

Hardison was chuckling as he, Scarlet, and Johnny counted the money. "Five grand, earned, not taken. Gives ya a sense of satisfaction, don't it?" He got no response from the one he wanted response from. "Don't it?" He turned around. "Rob, you okay, man?"

"Give it away."

"WHAT?" Scarlet was furious.

"Just do it okay." Rob headed upstairs. As he unlocked his apartment and slumped on the couch, his phone rang. "What?"

"Rob?"

His eyes widened. "Who is this?"

"It's me."

"Marian? How did you get this number?"

"Sterling's got Paul."

"What?"

"Bonanno too. He's gonna kill them by morning."

"Why are you helping me? I saw you and him together."

"I've been working undercover to try to bring Sterling down. You think I enjoy kissing that creep? Sterling'll call you himself, tell you the address, kill both of them, and have FBI waiting to find you and two dead bodies. He doesn't know about us, our history."

"Where are you?"

"I'm at…" There was some background noises before Rob heard a whack, and Marian groan in pain.

"Marian? MARIAN!"

"Hello, Robin," this voice was obviously not Marian.

"Sterling."

"She's right, you know. Only now, I have to rethink a new plan, with her as my new bait. Why do you think I let her get close to me? I knew about you and her when you started this scam those eight years ago. Who do you think set up your first assassination attempt?"

"I swear to God Sterling, if you touch her I'll-"

"-you'll what? Kill me? I'd like to see you try before the feds get here. Surrender yourself now and I'll let her and Father Paul, if that is his real name, and your team go. You have forty-five minutes to get to Sherwood Apartments, building five. I'll be in the basement." Sterling hung up the phone.

Rob grabbed his jacket and ran to the bar to assemble his crew. Much to his surprise, they were gone. "He's got 'em too!" He went behind the counter, opened the back of his safe, and pulled out a gun.

…

Rob entered the apartment complex, and went to the basement. He was incredibly surprised to find a bunch of goons knocked unconscious. "Sterling! I'm here, Sterling, come get me!"

"Rob!"

"Paul?" Rob headed in the direction of Paul's voice. He found Paul, Bonanno, Marian trapped in a cluttered storage closet. "You guys alright?"

"Define alright?" Bonanno asked him. "I've been here for almost a month, he's got people hired every day to beat me up to make sure I don't get out."

"They believe I'm a priest, so they don't hurt me," Paul commented.

Rob went over to where Marian was standing away from them. "Marian."

She stood as close to the gated storage closet as she could. "I never should've called you. I should've stopped him myself. This is all my fault."

"No, it's not," with his index finger, Rob wiped away her tears. "He would've killed you too. I would never be able to live with that," he took a deep breath. "I would never be able to live without you." He crooked his finger through a hole, and she linked her finger with his. "I love you."

"I love you too."

"How sweet," Sterling appeared behind Rob. "A final moment shared between two lovers."

"Let them go, Sterling," Rob ordered. "You've got me, that's what you wanted."

"I'm taking no chances," Sterling pulled out his gun and aimed it at Rob's head before Rob had a chance to reach for his. "Goodbye Robin Ford."

Before Sterling had the chance to shoot, Johnny kicked him to the ground. Once Sterling dropped the gun out of his hands, Johnny mercilessly punched him, but Sterling put up a good fight as he scrambled for his gun. Meanwhile, Scarlet picked the lock on the gated storage closet and she and Hardison helped free the three prisoners.

Once freed, Marian immediately ran into Rob's arms sobbing. "Rob!"

"It's okay," he stroked her hair. "I'm here."

During the struggle, Sterling managed to get his gun. He took out Johnny with a head butt, stood up, and shot at Rob. And while he missed Rob, he did hit Marian. She collapsed in Rob's arms as Johnny rejuvenated and took Sterling to the ground, knocking the gun away a further distance.

Rob kneeled to the ground, still holding Marian in his arms. "Marian! Marian, don't do this to me."

She looked up at him. "Go on without me."

"No."

"It's okay. We'll be together soon, I know." She closed her eyes and drew one last breath.

Paul knelt down beside Rob, who was now crying over Marian's body. Paul checked for a pulse. "She's gone, Rob." He took off his jacket and handed it to Rob.

Rob laid her body down on the ground and covered her with the jacket. He stood up, pulled out his gun, and handed it to Paul. He moved closer to Johnny and Sterling. He pulled Johnny off of Sterling.

"Rob, what are you doing?" Scarlet questioned.

Rob grabbed Sterling by his collar and held him by his throat against the wall. "Let's go Sterling, you and me. No guns, no weapons, just us."

"No promises," Sterling kneed Rob in the crotch. Sterling chuckled as Rob doubled over in pain. He quickly found himself on the ground when Rob head butted him and tackled him. But Sterling wasn't one to lose so easily. He managed to get on top of Rob and continuously punch him over and over.

"I'm stopping this!" Johnny headed over to the fight.

"No," Paul stopped him. "Let him finish this."

"He's getting his ass kicked!"

"Do you not see how much blood he's losing?" Hardison observed.

"Trust me," Paul assured. He lowered the gun he was holding to his side, turned his head to the right, and winked.

Sterling got off of Rob giving him an edge to fight him, but Rob didn't give up. Sterling grabbed his gun off the floor and pointed it at Rob's temple. "So long, Robin Ford."

A shot was fired.

Sterling groaned and fell to the ground. Scarlet and Hardison helped Rob up while Johnny gave Sterling a final kick to the crotch.

"Gotta hand it to you Paul," Rob began as Paul went over to him. "You really know how to handle a gun."

"Wasn't me," Paul coyly smiled.

"Bonanno?"

Bonanno pulled Sterling up and tied his hands together with a bandana found in the storage closet. "Not me."

"Guys?"

"Wasn't us," Hardison looked at Scarlet and Johnny.

"Then who?" Rob turned over to where Marian's body was supposed to be, but it wasn't.

Marian tapped his shoulder. He turned around and she handed him his gun. "You're welcome."

Rob smiled. "How did you-"

"-bulletproof vest. Bought it right before I staged the chess competition, but after I asked Paul to help use you to bring down Sterling."

"Seems I've underestimated you again."

"Does this mean we've got a new crew member?" Scarlet asked.

"I don't know, do we?"

"Alright," Marian answered, "but only on two conditions."

"Okay."

"First, Bonanno clears your names and puts Sterling in a maximum security prison."

"Oh I think that can be arranged," Bonanno told her as Sterling mumbled under his breath.

"Hey," Hardison handed him a flash drive. "That's the audio of Sterling and Rob's conversation for evidence." Hardison turned to Nate. "I couldn't help but hack your phone, brother."

"We knew somethin' was up," Scarlet said.

"And we thought it was some kinda lady trouble," Johnny finished.

"Don't let it happen again," Rob commanded. He turned back to Marian. "What's the other condition?"

She raised an eyebrow at him. "Like you don't know."

…

"Then by the power vested in me I now pronounce you man and wife," Father Paul looked up at his friend. "Go on and kiss your bride."

Rob lifted up Marian's veil and did as he was instructed as the entire Patriot church celebrated with clapping, whistling, and even an "Aw yeah!" from Hardison.

"Ladies and Gentlemen," Paul began, "I present to you Mr. and Mrs. Robin Ford!" The church filled continued with their celebrational clapping, whistling, and Hardison's "Aw yeah!"

Rob and Marian began walking up the aisle to the exit. "So, Mr. Ford," she looked at him, "what do we have planned for our honeymoon?"

"Well, Mrs. Ford, the honeymoon's gonna have to wait. We've got a job in a half hour with our new grifter."

"Is she prettier than me?" Marian joked.

Rob seriously looked at her. "Nothing and no one on this earth is more beautiful than you." They embraced each other in a passionate kiss.

**...**

"_Eliot!" Parker snapped her fingers to get him out of his trance._

"_What?" He growled at her._

"_You had us worried there for a second."_

"_I thought you was havin' a seizure or somethin'," Hardison commented._

"_I'm fine. I was just remembrin' somethin' important I gotta do." Eliot grabbed his jacket and left._

"_Maybe you two," Nate was referring to Parker and Hardison, "should keep tabs on him, just for tonight. You know, to make sure he's alright. Go on, I'll pay for your drinks." Nate didn't say anything until they were gone. "Soph, why don't you start unpacking your things and I'll be up in no less than five minutes."_

"_Alright," Sophie kissed her boyfriend, "I'll see you in no less than five minutes."_

"_Promise." Nate watched as she left. Once she was out of sight, he pulled out his phone._

"_Hello," the voice on the other end greeted._

"_Hey Paul."_

"_Nate? Nathan Ford is that you?"_

"_Yeah."_

"_What's up?"_

"_Listen, when are you planning' on coming to Boston?"_

"_Uh, I wasn't. Even if I was, I'd have to wait a few months to plan a vacation. Why'd you ask?"_

"_I'd like you to officiate a wedding for me."_

* * *

**Wow, that took longer than I thought, sorry about that. Okay so I kept the basic plot; vigilante robs from the rich, gives to the poor, leads a group of Merry Men, and in the end marries Maid Marian, a girl he has a history with, while the bad guys lose and King Richard returns to his rightful spot. Here's a list just in case:**

**Nate: Robin Hood**

**Sophie: Maid Marian**

**Eliot: Little John**

**Parker: Will Scarlet (there was a serious lack of girls, and I had to keep Parker a thief so I switched Will Scarlet to Scarlet William)**

**Hardison: um, I kinda based him on Dave Chappelle's character Achoo from the spoof **_**Men in Tights **_**and kept his real name**

**Sterling: Sheriff of Nottingham/Prince John cross (like Alan Rickman in **_**Prince of Thieves**_**)**

**Father Paul: Friar Tuck**

**Bonanno: King Richard (Sterling took his job, but it was rightfully Bonanno's, similar to Prince John & King Richard)**

**Chess Tournament: archery tournament (I figured Nate likes chess so I kinda created that)**

**Sherwood Apartments: Based off of Sherwood Forest**

**And the using Friar Tuck as bait was most likely from the Disney version**

**I liked the way this turned out, how 'bout you guys?**


	3. Hardison's Fantasy

**Finding a fairy tale and adjusting it to make it seem as though the character does envision it can be a challenge. I thought Eliot was hard (but at the same time I wanted to make him a secret romantic), but this one was a bit trickier. However, I did pull something out of my sleeve.**

**Oh, and I forgot to say that each member of the Leverage crew plays a part in the fairy tale, no matter if it seems small or insignificant. I could never exclude any of them that would be both cruel and unusual; for me anyway.**

**Here's Hardison's.**

* * *

_The jobs had taken their toll on the team so much so that they closed for two weeks and took a much needed vacation to India away from jobs._

_Or so they thought._

"_So you're saying this Hakim guy framed you?" Nate asked a potential client._

"_Why would I conspire to take down a government official?" The man asked him. "I say one thing out of context and Hakim Ghuznavi refers to me as a member of the rebellion, whatever that is. Next thing I know, I am a fugitive and men are waiting at my home to take me. I hear my children crying out for me, but I couldn't do anything. I come asking for help. If you help me, I will repay you with as many favors as necessary."_

"_No need," Nate assured. "We work on an alternative revenue service. Give my team some time to decide whether or not we'll take the case."_

"_You are a Godsend Mr. Ford. No one else in their right mind would consider helping me." The man disguised himself and left._

"_So?" Nate turned to Sophie. "Should we take this?"_

"_Nate, we're on vacation," she objected. "We're trying to avoid this. I was hoping we could spend our relaxation time together, just the two of us."_

_Nate took her hand in his and kissed it. "I'll try to make it up to you."_

"_Before my birthday?"_

"_No promises."_

_Meanwhile, Hardison, Parker, and Eliot were posing as tourists around the busy streets of India. _

"_Ooh, Aziz Ali's penthouse destroyed in an assassination attempt," Parker read from and Indian newspaper. "Ali? Like Prince Ali? Like Aladdin?"_

"_Parker," Eliot growled. "Aladdin isn't real. And if he was, he wouldn't be Indian."_

"_Yeah, he'd be middle eastern," Hardison commented._

"_Technically _Aladdin_ originated in China, so if he was real, he'd be Chinese."_

"_Weird," Parker shuddered. "I could never see Aladdin and Jasmine as Chinese people. It'd be too creepy."_

"_They're not real! It's a fairy tale the __Disney__ corporation turned into another cartoon movie for profit."_

"_Maybe it isn't. Somewhere out there there may be a real life Aladdin and Jasmine living out the Aladdin story."_

"_With a genie, a talking monkey, and a flying carpet?"_

"_The monkey didn't really talk! And his name was Abu."_

"_Stop livin' in a fantasy world."_

"_Well a lot of times fantasy world is better than actual world."_

"_There's somethin' wrong with you."_

"_Is that like a catchphrase for you or somethin'?"_

_Hardison wasn't listening to Parker and Eliot's bickering. His mind was wondering; What if two lovers out there were living like Aladdin and Jasmine, but in the real world?_

**…**

In his mind, Hardison pictured a random, but major city. A city with an upper class, fancy neighborhood, and the other part of it…not so much. The two parts of the city met in the middle, where it seemed everything was; schools, museums, hospital, shopping center, the list went on and on. In the poor part of the city, a poor guy and his orphan friend stashed out in an empty apartment building above a bar.

Well, they crashed there in the evenings. Their daytime consisted of stealing basic necissites (and other miscellaneous sundries they desired), usually in the Regency Square Mall on Main Street.

Nate Ford exited _Radio Shack_, setting off the alarm system.

"You again?" The guard asked. He sighed. "The other guys have told me you've set off five different store alarms today Nate Ford."

"Must be a reaction to metal or something," Nate casually shrugged.

"Empty out your pockets."

"Alright," Nate did as he was told as a blonde whizzed past him and the guard.

Much to the guard's dismay, Nate had no merchandise on him. "Must be something on your clothes or somethin'."

Nate casually shrugged. "Listen, I'm supposed to meet me friend at the food court five minutes ago. I don't suppose you can let me pass."

"Go ahead." The guard moved out of Nate's way.

"Much obliged, good sir." Nate saluted him and made his way to a fountain in the center of the mall where the blonde who whizzed past him was waiting. "Nice job, Parker."

"You say that every time."

"Well you do a nice job every time."

"Yeah, I know." She pulled out some money. "Took this from some loser on his phone. Want some lunch? My treat."

"You pick the place."

…

In another part of the mall, bodyguard Eliot Spencer was protectively guarding his employer, one Miss Sophie Devereaux, the daughter of the state senator, who lived in the upper class area. He rolled his eyes as she tried on hat, after hat, after hat.

"What do you think of this one?" she modeled yet another hat.

"I like it."

"You said that about the other seven I modeled."

"I don't care."

"Eliot, why don't you go and do something you want to do?"

"My job is to protect you, and if you're not in my vision range, I'm not doing my job."

Sophie reached into her purse and pulled out her wallet. "Here," she handed him a wad of cash. "Go do whatever you want to do, and I'll meet you back here in an hour and a half."

"Sophie I-"

"-I insist," she made a puppy dog pout.

"Just this once." Eliot grabbed the cash and left the store.

"Finally," Sophie paid for the few hats she modeled, tried to conceal her identity by wearing a hat and a pair of sunglasses, and wandered around the mall looking for the food court.

…

"I loves me my burger," Parker licked her lips in anticipation as she stared dreamily at her food.

"Then eat it," Nate insisted.

"But then I can't really enjoy it."

Nate gave her a confused look. "Just eat your burger." He grabbed a few fries off of his tray and proceeded to people watch, a hobby of his since his father abandoned him in random places and went off and did whatever leaving Nate with nothing to do and no one to talk to. It wasn't as interesting today of all days; Valentine's Day. The tables were mostly filled with couple after couple showing personal displays of affection in public. He found it more entertaining to look at empty tables.

One particular empty table caught his eye when a lady sat there…alone. Something about her immediately seemed attractive to Nate. Was it her looks? Her mannerisms? The way she tried to hide her true identity to blend in with the crowd?

Nate moved his tray closer to Parker. "Here you go," he said without looking directly at her, and staring off in another direction.

"Thanks, Nate, but…" Parker sat there in confusion as Nate stood up and headed in the direction he was staring in. "Nate?" Parker turned around and noticed what had caught Nate's eye.

Nate loudly cleared his throat to get the woman's attention. She looked up at him with a huge pair of sunglasses on her face. "Is this seat taken?" he inquired.

"No," she gestured for him to sit down at the chair across from her.

"I don't mean to be so impulsive, but I couldn't help but notice you sitting her alone on a day of all days."

"What's today?"

"Valentine's Day."

"Is it, really?" She looked at her phone. "Oh gosh, it is." She quickly wrapped her food into a few napkins, and stuffed them in her purse. "I have to get a Valentine's card for a bunch of people today." She stood up to leave. "Sorry, I have to go. It was nice meeting with you."

"Uh…" it was too late, she was off. "Damn."

"Smooth move, Nate," Parker was standing behind him.

"Parker, if you had to buy a bunch of Valentine's Day cards, where would you buy them?"

"Um…here in the mall?" Parker was confused by him quickly changing the subject so casually.

"Here in this mall."

"_Hallmark_ I guess."

"What's the most popular selling thing at _Hallmark_ today?"

"I keep seeing a bunch of people with miniature figurines of animals with hearts, and of course cards and chocolate."

"And this particular _Hallmark_ was the one with the toughest security guard you encountered? He still on duty?"

"The scary one? Yeah. Why?"

"I need you to do me a favor."

…

Sophie shuffled through the cards in _Hallmark_ as a skinny blonde brushed passed her unknowingly. "Hmm," Sophie observed a card. "Daddy would like this one." Sophie chose a few more cards before paying for them. As she left, she triggered the alarm.

"Freeze," sure enough, there was a tough, scary looking security guard. "Empty the bags and show me the receipts."

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me, Missy!"

Sophie groaned as she handed him her bags. "I hope you don't damage anything, some of that stuff was expensive."

When he was done, he shoved them back at her. "Empty your purse."

"What?"

"Look do you want me to go through it myself?" He had a loud voice to match his gruff demeanor.

"I beg your pardon?" By this point, there was a small crowd.

"Empty your purse!"

"This is ridiculous," Sophie pulled out the food. "It's just food I'm saving for later, I'm sorry if…" she felt something different. What she pulled out the purse wasn't there before; a miniature figuring of Pooh Bear holding a heart. "That is not mine!"

"Obviously."

"I didn't put that there!"

"That's what they all say. Come with me!"

"I will do no such thing!" She tried to fight back as he roughly grabbed her wrist. "Let go of me!" She tried hitting him back.

"Security breach, we have a Code 44." He tightened his grip and began to drag her away. "You're coming with me ma'am!"

Sophie held back as best as she could and began hitting him with her bags. "Let go of me!"

He used his free hand to talk on his walkie talkie. "Resisting arrest and assaulting a security officer." He tried pulling her harder, but she was trying not to budge.

As it seemed all hope was lost, someone in the crowd shouted, "HEY!" Nate made his way through the crowd, which had increased in size, and stood directly in front of Sophie and the guard. "Get your hands off my wife."

"Wife?"

Sophie was confused. "What the-"

"Play along," Parker whispered to Sophie as she made her way out of the store.

"Did I stutter jackass?" Nate boldly moved face to face with the guard. "Take your goddamn hands off my wife."

"Your wife is a criminal." the guard stated.

"I am not!" Sophie objected.

"And just what exactly is her crime?" Nate inquisitively raised his eyebrow.

"She is shoplifting merchandise from this store," the guard explained.

"And what exactly did she shoplift?"

"This figurine." the guard displayed it for all to see, as if he was showing off.

"_That_ figurine?"

"That is correct."

"The one I tried to surprise her with?"

"That is…wait what?"

Nate pulled a receipt out of his pocket. "I thought it would be a nice romantic gesture for my wife considering she loves Winnie the Pooh. She does love surprises after all. I guess the cashier didn't run it through the barcode system correctly. Now, will you take your hands off my wife?"

The guard moaned. "It checks out." He released Sophie from his grip and handed her the figurine. "My apologies ma'am. Have a nice day."

"Come on, honey," Nate led Sophie away from the crowd. "Alright you're good."

"What was that all about?" Sophie questioned with demand in her tone. "Did you really stash this in my purse?"

"No. Someone must've put that in your store to frame you so that they could sneak out with stolen merchandise. It's one of the oldest tricks in the book. I happened to be headed in that direction when I noticed how he was badly treating you."

"Oh. Well, thank you for coming to my rescue."

"Anytime."

"Would you like to keep this?"

"No, it's yours now. Think of it as a Valentine's gift from me to you."

"Well, I feel as though I do owe you something. Not only did you remind me what day today was, but you did save me back there."

"No, keep it. Something tells me you've got a soft spot for Pooh."

Sophie couldn't help but giggle. "Yes, I do like Winnie the Pooh. How did you know?"

"Who doesn't love Winnie the Pooh?"

"I feel as if I owe you something though." Sophie found herself moving closer to Nate. "You are my hero after all."

"You don't owe me a thing," Nate and Sophie founding themselves leaning in for a kiss.

Which was unfortunately disrupted by Eliot tackling Nate to the ground and giving him a swift, but painful punch to in the face before it even occurred.

"Eliot?"

"Come on Miss Devereaux," Eliot dragged Sophie away.

Parker ran over to Nate. "Nate, you okay?" She helped him get on his feet.

"That was Sophie Devereaux!" Nate was a bit shocked.

"Who?"

"Senator Devereaux's daughter."

"Oh! No wonder you got punched out like that. That Eliot guy has gotta be her bodyguard." Parker made sure Nate had his balance once he was on his feet.

"You two!" Another man stepped over to Nate and Parker. "Come with me."

"Another bodyguard?" Nate whispered.

"Some kinda guard, he's got a badge," Parker observed.

…

The guard led them to a private area and closed the door. "I've been watching you two," he told them. Nate and Parker exchanged nervous glances. "I saw what happened today at _Hallmark_ coming to that woman's rescue like that. However, I happened pass by that store earlier when you," he pointed to Parker, "were questioned when you triggered off the alarms. The security staff asked me to keep a close watch on that location, and I've been standing there most of the afternoon. You sir," he pointed to Nate, "were nowhere near that location this afternoon."

"What are you implying Mr. -"

"Sterling," the guard interrupted Nate, "Jim Sterling." Sterling took a sip from his Styrofoam cup. "I'm not here to arrest you two. I deduced, fairly quickly, that when I saw you," he pointed to Parker, "leave the store while you," Sterling pointed to Nate, "distracted the guard and prevented the lady from getting arrested."

"Nate."

"Come again?"

"My name is Nate. This lady here is my associate, Parker. If you're not going to arrest us, what are you planning to do?"

"I need cons to catch a con."

"What?" Parker asked.

Sterling slid a folder over to Nate and Parker. Nate opened the folder and looked at the picture. "His name is Alec Hardison," Sterling continued. "My partner and I have been after this man for a little over six months. Our results in catching him have been less than favorable. Granted my partner used to be a criminal, but he wasn't a con artist. Sure he stole things, not like the way you do, but he got caught, broke out of prison, got caught, broke out of prison, and I posted his bail on the grounds he assist me in my capturing of Alec Hardison. My partner agreed, admitting he had a revenge score to settle with said Alec Hardison."

"So you want us to catch him?"

"You will be rewarded handsomely, of course. I will also see to it that you'd get off scott free of any crime you'd be blamed for, even if you did commit the crime."

"How do we find this guy?" Nate inquired.

"The file has some of his favorites. A few favorite locations are bound to be there. The next time I see you, you better have Alec Hardison in your custody."

…

As Sterling predicted, Hardison did hit most of his favorite locations. In order to catch him off guard, they needed to trap him someplace he wouldn't expect to be trapped, and where they could preferably catch him alone. So Parker made her way into a high tech electronic store and stole a tracking device.

"You in position?" Nate asked over ear bud communicators Parker also jacked from the same store.

Parker was dressed as a waitress. "I'm in." She made her way toward his table. "Whoa!" Parker pretended to trip and spilled the tray on Hardison.

"HEY!"

"Oh my God! I'm so sorry!" Parker wiped off the food, while sticking on the tracker at the same time.

"You better not have got any of that on my laptop."

"I am so sorry! I'm such a klutz!" She stood up with the messy tray of food. "Again, I'm so sorry." She walked off in her original direction. "It's on. Now what?"

Nate sat back in the driver's seat of a car Parker boosted. "Now, we wait."

…

Nate and Parker sat in the car and paid close attention to Hardison on their tracker. "He's moving," Nate observed.

"Moving where?"

"He's going over 40 miles per hour, which means he's gotta be driving. And if it's 1:00 in the morning, he's most likely driving home."

"And we're gonna meet him there and catch him."

"Yep."

"Can we get a snack first?"

"No," Nate started the car and drove in the direction of the tracking signal of Alec Hardison. He stopped the car in front of an expensive looking apartment building. "He's at the top building."

"Can I rappel up there?"

"With what?"

"Maybe there's a hardware store I can sneak into."

"There is another way, Parker. I'll distract the night watchman, you sneak up to Hardison's apartment and I'll meet you up there. Make sure to hold him there."

"Got it." Parker and Nate left the car. She hid to the side of the building while Nate stood in front of the building.

"EMILY!" Nate yelled outside the building trying to get the guard to let him inside. "EMILY! EMILY YOU CAN'T KEEP KICKING ME OUT EVERYTIME I'M RIGHT! EMILY!"

The night guy went outside as Parker snuck inside. "Sir, sir, if you could come inside with me, please," he requested.

Nate pretended to be inebriated. "You're gonna…you're gonna…Emily? She lives here you know. Did she change the lock?"

"You can't change the lock here, it's an apartment complex."

"Good, 'cause I got the key." Nate stumbled inside. He waited once he was out of sight to quickly go upstairs to Hardison's apartment. The door was already opened, and Nate found Hardison caught in Parker's chokehold. "Let him go Parker."

When Parker freed him from her grasp, Hardison fell to the floor unconscious. "I guess the chokehold was too tight."

"You think?"

…

Hardison woke up on his couch later in the morning. He screamed bloody murder when he saw Parker standing over him. "Nate," Parker called to Nate, "he's awake."

"Who the hell are you people?" Hardison looked behind him at Nate, then at Parker. "And how did you get in my house?"

"Technically, it's an apartment," Nate sat in a recliner with a cup of coffee. "And unfortunately, we're here to turn you in."

"Aw, hell no! No way! I cannot go to prison! What're they offerin' ya?"

"A lot of money," Parker casually responded.

"I'll double it!"

"How?"

"Legitimate counterfeiting. If you want, I can teach you how I do that too."

"How do we trust you?"

"Look, if you guys provide me with a new hideout, all the electronics I ask for, and some orange soda, I'll pay you guys back."

"So if we give you three things you want, you give us three things we want each?"

"Na-ah-ah, I don't mean each. You both get your money, what you each want, you get something you want, and he gets something he wants. No matter how impossible it seems to get, I will get it."

"Anything?"

"Y'all deaf or somethin'? Anything!"

"Nate?"

Nate thought this through. "I don't see why not. But he has to keep his end of the bargain."

"Aw, Hallelujah!" Hardison inflicted a man-hug on Nate. "You are the best, brother."

"What about Sterling? What do we tell him?" Parker questioned.

"I've got an idea," Nate smirked. "Parker, I need you to steal me some explosives. Hardison, pack all the stuff you can't live without."

"What?" Hardison's eyes widened. "Are you planning on blowing up my house?"

"Apartment," Parker corrected.

"Get everything you need," Nate commanded, "and we'll take you to our hideout. Parker, lead Sterling here as you blow the place up, make them think I'm in in there too."

"Got it!" Parker hurried out the door and to Nate's car.

"I owe you one," Hardison promised.

"I know," Nate took a sip of coffee.

…

Thoughts of the man who had saved her couldn't escape Sophie's mind. Who was he? Where did he come from? Would she ever see her again?

"Somethin' on your mind, Soph?" Her constant companion/bodyguard took a seat beside her on her couch.

"That man at the mall," she looked at Eliot, "he saved me."

"I saved you too, from him."

"No, he was different. There was something about him."

"Speaking of men, your daddy set you up on another date with a City Councilman, wouldn't tell me which one, but he set you up one."

Sophie groaned in annoyance. "I'm glad Daddy cares, but he isn't allowed to manage my love life."

"The man's gettin' older. He's not gonna live forever. He just wants to see that you're well taken care of for the rest of your life."

"He wants me to give him a grandchild by his next campaign."

"Well, that too."

"I'm sick of these frequent dates, after date, after date. It's wearing me out, and making me feel worse about myself."

"Well, if worst comes to worst, I'll marry you Soph."

Sophie let out a watery laugh. "You're sweet." She patted his shoulder. "I might take you up on that offer if I don't find someone soon." She stood up. "If you excuse me, I have to get ready for yet another dinner date."

"You got a while. Why don't you sit back down and watch some TV with me? Hell, watch a soap opera if you want."

"Thank you, Eliot." She took the remote from the coffee table. "It's _Oscar_ week on _Oprah_."

"Good for Oprah."

As Sophie turned the TV to _ABC_, a breaking news bulletin interrupted the end of _General Hospital_.

"Good afternoon, I'm Janet Lin with breaking news. The top building of an apartment complex has just been destroyed in what police are calling a murder-suicide. The apartment was believed to have been a hideout for wanted fugitive Alec Hardison. Deputy police officer Jim Sterling, who had been tracking Hardison for more than six months, enlisted the aid of local man Nathan Ford, and his niece Parker, whose last name is currently unknown. Ford and his niece had uncovered the criminal's whereabouts and attempted to apprehend the fugitive."

"The two had found his hideout without the assistance of the police," Sterling was talking to a reporter, "we were immediately notified of this, but we believe Alec Hardison was listening to police scanners and planted a bomb to be set off when police came. Mr. Ford was most likely attempting to catch him, but was quickly turned into a hostage situation, and he tragically could not escape."

The TV now went to Parker, who pretended looked sad, but wasn't crying. "I, uh…really loved my Uncle Nate, he was a nice guy. He's kinda my hero. His hair was curly and he usually smelt of apples, 'cause he had apple shampoo. This isn't gonna be on the news is it?"

Janet Lin was back on the air. "We now have footage of Nathan Ford acting as a hero coming to the defense of an unknown woman who was believed to have robbed a _Hallmark _store in the Regency Square Mall."

"No," Sophie began tearing up.

"That's not that guy you were thinking about, was it?" Eliot turned to her. Her watery eyes said it all. "Oh, Soph. Soph, I'm sorry."

"Cancel my date, please." She left the room in tears.

…

"Gotta hand it to you," Hardison turned off the TV. "That was a pretty awesome explosion. You could work on your acting, though."

"I like when things go boom," Parker handed Hardison another piece of technology he requested. "What's this one supposed to do?"

"I dunno, that's why I got it. To figure out what it does."

"Makes sense."

"Parker!" Nate entered the living room area looking kind of angry. "Tell me the explosion wasn't on the local news?"

"Um…you catching a wanted criminal and dying as a hero in an assassination attempt was."

"Did you ask them not to show my face?"

"Oh, that's what I forgot. I'm sure they didn't show your face."

"They showed the footage of me at the mall saving Sophie."

"Cool, they're showing you as a hero."

"I didn't want Sophie to think I was dead!"

"Sophie?" Hardison raised an eyebrow to Nate and chuckled. "Who's Sophie?"

"She's the senator's daughter," Parker answered for Nate. "He wanted to get to know her so he staged a fake robbery slash rescue. When they were alone, her bodyguard tackled him to the ground and whisked her away. That's when Sterling found us."

"And now Sophie's gonna think Nate's dead?"

"I actually had a shot with her," Nate slumped on the couch. "She didn't even know my name, and now she thinks I'm dead."

"And he didn't even get to first base with her," Parker shook her head and make the 'tsk' noise. "Sad."

"I get it," Hardison sat beside Nate. "The one thing you want is Sophie. Now you think it's impossible to get her. Well, it ain't for Alec Hardison."

Nate looked at him. "You can make it seem like I'm alive?"

"Uh, no. Well I could, but then they'd think I'm alive, and they'd track you back here where I am and all our asses will go to prison. I had a better approach to this problem."

"What?" Parker sat next to Hardison.

"We gotta get you a new identity, Nathan Ford. One I can easily fake. Since she's a little bit higher up on the social ladder, we got you a high class identity." Hardison quickly got his laptop and returned to his seat. "If you want, I can give you _Oscar_ winner Timothy Hutton's identity."

"Someone a little less famous please," Nate suggested. "Someone who has connections in politics, and can be traced to her senator father if necessary."

Hardison typed some information to his computer. "We had a one-time senator nearly thirty years back fired for a major political scandal. Turns out the guy had a secret family. Now his oldest son from that secret family, one Thomas David Baker, died in 1990 in a car crash and hasn't been mentioned in the public since. I think I can fake this identity for you, Tom Baker."

Nate nodded his head in approval. "Way to go Hardison."

"How'd you do that?" Parker inquired.

"Age of the geek, baby," Hardison smiled.

…

"You gotta come out of your room sometime Soph," Eliot pounded on her door.

"Go away, Eliot!"

"I don't wanna sound like an ass, but you didn't even know the guy. You're gonna find someone better."

"Go away Eliot!"

"I know your dates haven't been…well good, but you got a new offer tonight."

"Tell Daddy to stop-"

"Your daddy didn't set this one up for you. This guy came on his own terms, with his own bodyguards, I may add. He's gotta be somethin' special."

"How do you know?"

"I didn't shoo them away."

Eliot heard silence, then footsteps, and then Sophie opened the door. "This is the last one before I consider marrying you."

Eliot laughed. "No promises."

Sophie quickly fixed her hair and makeup before heading downstairs where Nate was sitting on the couch with Hardison and Parker standing at his sides.

"Miss Devereaux?" Nate stood up and kissed her hand when she entered. "It's a pleasure to meet you. Tom Baker."

Sophie stared at him. "Tom? Do we know each other?"

"Now we do. I was at some gala thing, bored as hell, and I ran someone on your dad's campaign team, we got to talking, and you came up somewhere in the conversation. Sounded like someone I'd like to get to know."

"Look, Tom, you seem like a nice guy, but I-"

"I hope I don't seem so impulsive, but I wanted to take you out for a night on the…a night on the town."

"No, no. I just don't feel like-"

"Does a hot air balloon ride sound fun?" Nate gestured her to her backyard, where a hot air balloon was placed in the center.

Sophie's eyes widened. "Dinner would've been fine."

"It's included, by candlelight."

Sophie looked at him skeptically. "Alright, I suppose one date wouldn't hurt."

Nate opened the door to the hot air balloon. "Ladies first." He took her hand and led her into the balloon.

"You're such a gentleman Tom." The two stared at each other as Hardison and Parker helped get the balloon off the ground. Sophie looked down and gasped. "Who's flying this?"

"It's cool," Nate assured her. "The balloon's being controlled and will land back at your place by midnight."

"You planned all this for a woman you haven't met?"

"I like to make a good first impression."

"Do you?" She tried to get a better look at him. "You remind me of someone I know."

"Do I?"

"That's some mark on your face," Sophie was referring to the mark Eliot left when he hit Nate.

"Got it on my last date. She was a female boxer, showed me some moves. Woman knocked me out with a quick punch to my face."

"It's getting awfully dark for sunglasses. Why don't you take them off?"

"It's still light out."

"I'm not stupid," she changed her tone. "Take off the glasses, Nate." Nate sighed and took off his glasses. "Did you really think I was that stupid?"

"No, I know you're not."

"Why did you lie to me?"

Nate stood there silent. "I have an evil twin." Sophie slapped his face. "Ow!"

"Tell me the truth! Start with your name."

"My name is Nate Ford." Nate decided to go with his first instinct and lie. "I tried to fake my death so I could collect life insurance to help pay for my niece's college tuition. I knew the Hardison guy was a fugitive, and I told him I'd let him escape if he pretended to kill me. I had no idea the news would cover that. I was gonna say I was another guy named Nate Ford, but they showed my face when I came to see you again."

"I see." Sophie was silent. "I thought your lady bodyguard looked familiar." Sophie held his hand. "I wish you would've just told me up front."

"Your bodyguard scares me."

"You can trust him now. He must've known who you were, and that's why he let you in. He's good at remembering faces."

"Smart guy."

"Now, I believe I was promised a candlelight dinner."

"Of course," Nate helped her sit down and picked up a picnic basket. "I'm a man of my word." He took out two candles and lit them.

"You know," Sophie had a sly look on her face, "we never did get the chance to kiss."

Nate smirked at her. "You're right again."

Sophie scooted beside him. "You're the gentleman; I insist you kiss me first."

"My pleasure," He leaned in and kissed her lips beside the candlelight as the balloon drifted off into the sunset.

…

True to Nate's word, the balloon landed where it had started in Sophie's backyard a few minutes before midnight. There was no trace of any of the other three. Nate exited the balloon first, and then held the door open for Sophie and helped her exit.

"That was so much fun," she commented. "So much better than those dates Daddy sets up for me."

"That's the problem with political drones; they don't know how to have fun."

"I'm so glad you're an honest man. Well, sort of honest man."

"I am an honest man; I can honestly say that I love you."

As the two leaned in for another kiss, they were ambushed. A few tough guys carried Sophie away while one knocked Nate unconscious with a knight stick. But before losing consciousness, Nate managed to get a good look at Jim Sterling.

…

Nate regained consciousness in a holding cell with Hardison and Parker. "Guys, what's going on?"

"Sterling was having us followed the whole time. He wasn't kidding when he said he wanted us to hand over Hardison," Parker informed. "Tracked us down, ambushed us, and I think they killed Sophie's bodyguard. This is your fault, Hardison."

"No, it's Sterling's," Nate sat up. "He hired us to find Hardison, and he tracked us."

"Actually," this was a different character, "this was my fault."

Hardison had an angry look on his face. "Chaos."

"Hello again, Hardison. Long time, no attempt to kill you. Sure, Sterling planted the tracker on you other two, but the tracker was my idea. I kept the tabs on you guys. I didn't believe that cock and bull story about the explosion. Especially when I saw Nate Ford's tracker, still active."

"You're Sterling's partner?" Parker asked.

"Ooh," Chaos eyed Parker, "if you want, baby, I can be your partner." Parker flipped him the bird. "I do love a challenge."

"What have you done with Sophie?" Nate questioned him.

"Oh, you didn't hear? Deputy Officer Jim Sterling found Sophie Devereux, who had been kidnapped by the man in the security footage. Daddy Devereaux was so pleased; he told Jim he could have Sophie's hand in marriage."

"You bastards!"

"I know, right? Oh wait, it gets better. On their honeymoon in the Cayman Islands, Sophie and Sterling will be victims of a robbery gone awry, and will be stabbed to death in their hotel room."

"If you so much as touch her—"

"Oh, I've got men to do that for me. It's a shame her bodyguard won't be there to protect her, but Nathan Ford, the man who faked his death and kidnapped the senator's daughter, killed the guy with his own two hands. Perfect story, huh?" Nate and the other two smirked. "What?"

"Didn't count on one thing, Chaos."

"Oh. And what would that be?"

Eliot tapped his shoulder. "Me." He proceeded to mercilessly beat Chaos before knocking him completely unconscious. He freed the three. "You guys find Sophie; I'll be witcha in a minute."

"How are we gonna find her?" Hardison asked Nate.

Parker held out a tracker. "Those tracking devices come in handy, planted one on her before you guys left." Parker looked at the tracker. "She's back at her house."

"And knowing Sterling," Nate began, "he's gonna have those same guys who ambushed us waiting for us there."

"How are we gonna get in?"

"Hey Parker, you still got one favor from me," Hardison smiled.

"But I—" Parker stomped her feet. "Fine! Help us save Sophie."

…

Nate was dressed in a fancy suit as he approached the guards at Sophie's home. Hardison followed close behind dressed in Middle Eastern garb. Hardison spoke some gibberish to Nate.

"This is it, Your Highness," Nate walked up to the house.

"Whoa, whoa," the guards stopped him. "You can't go in there, pal."

"The senator has arranged a meeting between His Majesty here."

"Bull crap."

Hardison said some more gibberish, and made some stereotypical Middle Eastern noises as Nate joined in with the gibberish. "Yeah, uh, Prince Ali here flew all the way from Agrabah to talk to the guy. Do you what he had to cancel to be here?"

"Prince Ali from Agrabah? Sounds an awful lot like that Disney movie."

"Alright, you asked for this."

Parker and Eliot snuck behind the guards and took them down with their own tasers. "I gotta get me one of these," Eliot remarked.

The four of them proceeded into Sophie's house. "You guys wait here while Eliot I find Sterling and Sophie. Come find us when it's time." Nate and Eliot left the other two and made their way to the den, where the tracker had Sophie's signal. Another set of guards were standing there. "Eliot."

"Got it." Eliot headed into the den, but was stopped by the guards. "Night gentlemen."

"What?" Eliot tasered the two of them.

"We're clear Nate."

Nate opened the door to the den. He found not only Sophie, but Senator Devereaux tied up and shoved in the corner. The back of the senator's chair at his desk was facing the front. "Let them go, Sterling."

Sterling turned around in the chair. "Or what, Nate? You'll unleash your rampage out on me now that you broke out of prison."

"Cops aren't gonna believe that story."

"I'm a cop, and I believe it." Sterling stood up and began walking toward Nate. "You thought you had me Nathan. I have friends in high places that would surprise you."

"So do I."

"Who? A wanted hacker and a cat burglar?"

"I've made some new friends. Is the name Colin Mason familiar to you."

"Chaos?"

"Oh yeah, we asked cops to cut him a deal when they arrested him. See, if Chaos confesses to being an accomplice to Jim Sterling's plot to kill the senator by using innocent bystanders, one who happens to be a Middle Eastern prince who looks similar to a fugitive, he'll get out in ten to twenty years, with a slight chance of parole."

"You're bluffing."

"They got you on security footage at the scene of the explosion, Jim. That's an assassination attempt."

"What about you, Nate? You kidnapped the senator's daughter and killed her bodyguard. I'd say that's guaranteed no less than fifty years with a slight chance of parole. You lost."

"Nate," Eliot had one of the ear bud comms, "it's time."

"Did I, Sterling?" Nate moved closer to Sterling and felt a gun. Nate pulled the trigger on Sterling's gun, shooting himself in the foot. "I didn't think that would hurt as much," he grunted as he fell.

Cops came bursting in as soon as Nate hit the floor. Eliot, Parker, and Hardison (still dressed in his costume) were with him.

"That's the guy," Eliot pointed to Sterling. "That's the guy who tried to kill me."

"He's the one who paid me to pretend to be that guy's niece for the reporters," Parker added.

"He is the man who ambushed me," Hardison spoke in a fake accent to keep up with us alias. "He thought I was this Hardison man!"

"This isn't what it looks like," Sterling said as the cops moved in on him.

"What isn't?" Bonanno handcuffed him. "You being accused of attempted murder, bribery, and assault? Explain the gunshot, and the guy on the ground. And look," Bonanno gestured for his backup to go over to Sophie and her dad. "The missing Senator Devereaux and his daughter are being held hostage. Plus, we have a confession from your accomplice."

"Yeah, explain that!" a cop who looked like McSweeten agreed.

"He stole my doughnut too," a cop who looked like Taggert added.

"Get him outta here," Bonanno ordered. He went over to Nate. "You okay, sir?" He helped Nate get on his feet.

"I'll be fine."

"Saw you on the mall security footage. I gotta say, you've got guts."

"They're not spilling on the floor are they?"

Bonanno laughed. "You got shot in the foot Mr. Ford, you'll live."

"I hope so."

Once Sophie was freed, she immediately ran into Nate's arms, stepping on his injured foot in the process. He grunted. "Oh, gosh, I'm sorry. Are you okay?"

Nate took a deep breath. "I'll live."

"That story about the life insurance that was a lie wasn't it?"

"Well…Sterling hired my orphan roommate and I to track down a fugitive, but the guy wasn't so bad. He promised he'd give us what we wanted if we kept him safe. I wanted you, and he," Nate pointed to Hardison, "is responsible for reuniting us. And I staged the robbery just to get a chance to get to know you."

"So you're not really an honest man?"

"No, I'm still an honest man. I'm just good at bending the truth sometimes to protect the people I care about."

"You care about me?" Hardison asked. "Aw man, I'm gettin' all emotional."

"Ruining the moment, Hardison."

"Sorry, dude."

"So this," Senator Devereaux moved between Nate and Sophie, "is the man you were telling me about while we were being held hostage?"

"This is Nathan Ford, Daddy," Sophie introduced.

"Nice to meet you, sir." Nate shook the man's hand.

"I assume you want to marry my daughter?"

"And drop the charges on Hardison?" Hardison asked.

"Hardison!" Nate gave him a look, and that look made Hardison shut up. "Well I only met her two days ago, so I thought maybe we could—"

"-Yes, he does Daddy," Sophie interrupted.

"Sophie, he's not like us. He deals with criminals. He—"

"-Sir," Nate cut him off, "have you ever ridden in a hot air balloon?"

The senator's eyes widened with excitement. "You can get me one?"

Nate looked at Hardison. "I think that can be arranged."

Senator Devereaux sighed. "I give you my blessing." Sophie squealed and hugged her father. Once she let go of him, he went over to Eliot. "Spencer, let's you and I discuss that promotion in private." He led Eliot out of the room.

"Do you mind?" Nate asked Parker and Hardison.

"I see," Hardison winked. "Come on Parker, let's go somewhere else."

"Can we go to the zoo and look at the monkeys?" Parker asked as they closed the doors.

"So," Sophie was standing in front of Nate. "No more lies?"

"Not to you anyway."

"Good," she kissed him. "What's say you and I go back to your place? I'd like to get a glimpse of what living with you would be like."

"Well Sophie Devereaux," Nate embraced his bride-to-be, "let me show you a whole new world." He engaged her in one of the most passionate kisses ever.

**…**

"_Dammit Hardison!" Eliot stepped on his foot._

"_OW!" Hardison was back to reality. "Dammit Eliot!"_

"_Come on, we got a job to do."_

"_On vacation? First y'all ruin my fantasy, now you ruin my vacation!"_

"_Fantasy?" Parker questioned. "Do we wanna know?"_

"_Maybe some other time. We got a job to do."_

_The rest of the vacation consisted of doing the job. Unfortunately for Sophie, she and Nate weren't able to get the alone time they wanted. And when they returned to Boston, it was Sophie's birthday._

_Nate lit the one candle on her cake while the rest of the team gathered around. Parker led the group in a slightly less enthusiastic version of "Happy Birthday" while Sophie blew out her candle. While Parker and Hardison applauded, Nate leaned in for a kiss for Sophie. "Happy Birthday, Soph," he kissed her._

"_Thank you, Darling." She turned to the other three. "And thank you all for a nice day."_

"_Did you like my present?" Parker cheerfully asked._

"_Well, it's…interesting. Not very practical, well the money is, but I'm not sure I'll find an opportunity to use a rappel."_

"_Do you need me to show you how to work your _Prototype 8_?" Hardison asked._

"_Ya shoulda got her something she can actually use, somethin' practical," Eliot growled._

"_Oh, like the taser you got her?" Parker questioned him._

"_She can use that for both safety and amusement."_

_As the younger three members started a full blown argument, Nate took Sophie aside. "I still haven't given you my present."_

"_I thought that was later tonight?" Sophie slyly raised an eyebrow._

_Nate chuckled. "I actually got something you've wanted for a long time."_

"_Ooh, where is it?"_

"_It's upstairs. I'll bring it down to you, but you gotta keep your eyes closed."_

"_Hmm, so that's why I wasn't allowed up there today."_

"_Close those eyes." Nate went upstairs as Sophie closed her eyes. Nate carried a big box downstairs and set it at Sophie's feet. "Open."_

_Sophie looked down at the box. Before she had a chance to open it, out popped a Golden Retriever puppy. Sophie gasped. "Oh, Nate." She took the puppy in her arms._

"_He's a rescue pup. I named him Sam, I hope that's okay."_

"_He's perfect."_

"_You're perfect." Nate kissed her. And it would've lasted longer, if Sam wasn't jealous of not getting attention. When Sam barked, the rest of the team took notice too. "Hey," Nate looked down at the puppy, "she's mine too. You gotta learn to share."_

* * *

**Okay, that also went a little longer than anticipated. I had the idea for a puppy, and decided to put him in here so he can be featured in other fantasies. Now, you may be wondering about this fantasy. Let's say it's mostly based on the Disney version, 'cause it's the one I know best, and one practically everybody's seen (though Tim Burton's version of Aladdin was also kinda cool). Here's the list.**

**Nate: Aladdin**

**Sophie: Jasmine**

**Eliot: kinda original, but I wasn't planning on using the Sultan character (at first), so I made up someone for Eliot**

**Parker: Abu (a human, female type who loves monkeys; wasn't Abu a monkey?)**

**Hardison: Genie (did you notice he would do 3 favors; 3 wishes)**

**Sterling: Jafar (I love using him as the bad guy)**

**Chaos: Iago (kinda a sidekick to the bad guy)**

**Bonanno: a bit like Razoul, but not so much**

**Taggert & McSweeten: guards (like their cameos?)**

**Senator Devereaux: also original but I needed a Sultan**

**The hot air balloon: magic carpet**

**The staged robbery was like the scene where Jasmine first met Aladdin**

**The last line in the fantasy obviously references the **_**Oscar **_**winning song from Aladdin**

**Plus other various Leverage references (Regency Square Mall, Janet Lin, Nate yelling Emily, Hardison's place blowing up, Tom Baker, etc.).**

**But seriously, how many of you thought Nate was gonna propose to Sophie on her birthday? I kinda wanted to create that impression; I secretly hope I fooled some people.**


	4. Parker's Fantasy

"**You tolerate me! You really, really tolerate me!"- Colin Mochrie during a 'world's worst' from an episode of **_**Whose Line is it Anyway **_

**Hooray! I survived two (way too long) fantasies, and I'm getting some positive feedback; any feedback is good no matter how small (thanks for caring ****aydaden**** but I'm not really well known so I'm used to not getting reviews and it does suck sometimes, but it's all good). I do intend to finish this because I kinda outlined a plan in the beginning. By the way, anyone have any ideas which recurring characters will be featured, or what fairy tales I'll be using?**

**LilyTheGrifter****, you gotta keep waiting for Sophie's fantasy, but it's coming up soon, promise.**

**Anyone interested in seeing what fantasy Parker has cooking in her…Parker-ish mind.**

* * *

_Hardison, Parker, and Eliot entered Nate and Sophie's apartment engaged in an argument about whether or not people can actually talk to animals when Sophie stopped them at the door. She was wearing a pair of sweats, her hair was up in a messy ponytail, and she looked exhausted. "Shoes off!" Sophie ordered._

"_You been cleanin', Soph?" Eliot looked around as he slid his shoes off._

"_With no help from any of you."_

"_We don't live here," Hardison reminded. "It does look shinier though, good job."_

"_Where's Sam?" Parker asked._

"_Nate took him out for their daily walk," Sophie answered. "I swear that's all he does with that dog!"_

"_Get ready for a rant," Eliot warned._

"_The dog was a present for me, and I can't even enjoy him because I have to clean up his messes. All Nate does is take him for walks and play with him. All you three do is play with him. But do I get a chance to play with him? No!"_

_As Sophie continued ranting in the background, Hardison pulled out his phone and Googled. "Getting back to our original issue," Hardison looked at search results. "It is possible for humans to understand different animal sounds, and with training, it's possible for animals to understand what humans are trying to communicate."_

"_So does that mean I win?" Parker asked him._

"_No Parker," Eliot growled. "Hardison's only describing domesticated, trainable animals."_

"_So who wins?"_

"_I do," Hardison replied. "I didn't take anyone's side, so the middleman wins."_

"_Hey, look up if it's possible for animals to look like their owners!"_

"_That's not possible Parker," Eliot snarled._

"_It could be. Have you seen those funny pictures?"_

"_And when an actor voices an animal, animators do incorporate some of the actor's features into the character," Hardison added._

"_Whose side are you on?" Eliot questioned._

"_Nobody's side, I'm just the middleman here."_

"_That's cheating," Parker told him._

"_Are you guys listening to me?" Sophie directed her attention towards them._

"_Yes!" All three of them answered in unison._

"_Then what was the last thing I said?" Sophie got silence as a response. "I thought so." She put down her cleaner. "I'm going to go get ready."_

"_For what?" Parker asked._

"_If you were listening, you'd know," Sophie went upstairs. _

"_What was she bitchin' about?" Eliot asked the other two. Parker and Hardison shrugged. "So, what exactly are we doin' here?"_

"_Nate asked us here," Hardison answered._

"_Us? Were you and Parker together when Nate called you or somethin'?" Eliot chuckled and smirked. "What were you two doin'?"_

"_We was just…uh, just-"_

"_-Hardison and I were watching _Cinderella_," Parker answered. Eliot began laughing. "What? It was his idea?" Eliot laughed harder._

"_It was Rodger's and Hammerstein's. The one with Brandy and Whitney Houston," Hardison defended. "The multicultural one with the Mexican lookin' prince with a white daddy and a black mama version!"_

"_I didn't even know _Cinderella_ was a musical," Parker said. "So much different from the cartoon one we watched first."_

_Eliot continued laughing as Nate and Sam entered the apartment. "Somethin' funny?" Nate inquired._

"_You'd never guess what Hardison and Parker were doing together," Eliot said to him._

"_Comparing and contrasting the different versions of _Cinderella_?"_

_Eliot looked at him. "You could hear it in the background or somethin'?"_

"_It was his idea," Hardison smiled._

"_It was suggested when Parker asked about the musical touring of the show," Nate informed. "She wasn't aware of other versions, and I didn't own a musical version, Hardison did."_

_Eliot went back to laughing at Hardison. "Either way, I'm-a get embarrassed?" Hardison griped. "Not cool!"_

_A bloodcurdling scream upstairs startled the group. "SOPHIE?" Nate had extreme panic in as tone. As he prepared to go upstairs, Sophie ran downstairs. "Sophie, what's wrong?"_

"_Mouse!"_

"_What?"_

"_There is a mouse in our closet! Kill it!"_

"_A mouse? Sophie that's not-"_

"_KILL IT!"_

_Eliot moaned. "I'm on it," he went upstairs._

"_How the hell did a mouse get in here? Do you know how hard I've been cleaning to avoid something like that?" Sophie shuddered. "Ugly thing."_

"_I thought you tolerated mice?" Parker looked confused._

"_In cages, Parker. Not scampering loose in the apartment."_

_Eliot came down with the mouse in his hand, dangling it by its tail. "This little thing?"_

"_KILL IT!"_

"_Eliot, just get rid of it," Nate instructed him. When Eliot closed the door when he left with the mouse, Nate turned to Sophie. "There, it's gone."_

"_Good." Sophie looked over at Sam, and a puddle beside him. "Sam, no! You just went for a walk."_

"_You must've scared him enough for him to do that. Go on get ready and I'll take care of it."_

"_Thank you, darling," Sophie gave Nate a quick peck on the lips before going upstairs._

_Nate looked down at the puppy. "Honestly, you couldn't do that outside?" Sam responded by lying on his side a few feet away from his accident. "Cuteness isn't going to save you all the time, you know."_

_Parker was giggling at the puppy. She suddenly turned to Hardison. "Do you think Sophie would've been scared of the mouse if it looked like one of us?"_

_Hardison groaned. "Not this again."_

"_Do I want to know?" Nate suspiciously looked at them while he got himself a few paper towels._

"_Just another random Parker debate."_

"_Ah."_

"_Well would she?" Parker questioned again._

"_I dunno, Parker," Hardison replied. "If that's what you think." Hardison looked behind him to Nate. "So, what is Sophie getting ready for?"_

"_Sophie and I are going dancing," Nate responded._

"_You hate dancing."_

"_I feel I owe her for constantly cleaning. Besides, I've got a surprise for her."_

"_You finally gonna pop the question?"_

"_Pop what question?" Parker was confused. "Do questions even pop?"_

"_No," Nate's response resulted in a groan from Hardison. "I ran into someone yesterday afternoon that Sophie might like to see. I asked said person to meet us later at our date tonight."_

"_Three's a crowd, you know." Hardison objected._

"_I think Sophie will make an exception." Nate threw away the wet paper towels. "I'm going to get ready. You guys watch Sam."_

"_We watching him for the night?" Parker had excitement in her inquiry._

"_That's the idea."_

_Parker squealed with delight. "Yay!" The two watched as Nate went upstairs. "Hey, Hardison, that chip thingy you put in Nate's jacket, does that show visual of where he went yesterday?"_

"_You better believe it baby," Hardison got the clicker to the TVs and clicked something on his computer. "Okay, so he did take Sam on a regular walk yesterday. That story checks out."_

"_Why did you put the chip in his jacket pocket?"_

"_You tellin' me I'm the only one who wants to see the man ask his woman to marry him?"_

"_Maybe he'll ask her in front of us." Hardison raised an eyebrow. "Eh, it's Nate."_

"_Secretly, I also wanna know what ring the man plans on gettin' her. You know he ain't gonna give her the ring he gave his first wife."_

"_I hope Maggie isn't the surprise guest."_

"_No," Hardison put up another visual on the TVs, "but I think I know who is."_

"_What does she want?"_

"_Let me get the audio." Hardison turned up the volume._

"_I'll send them to you tomorrow morning after I steal them," the woman said. "Same size right?"_

"_Last time I checked," Nate answered back. "She'd be real happy to see you."_

"_I can't wait to see her either. Cute dog by the way. See you tomorrow Nate."_

_Hardison turned off his computer. "What did she send Sophie?"_

"_Knowing Sophie, shoes." Parker replied. She went over to the trash. "Yep," she held up a box._

"_Those are some nice shoes."_

"_They look like Cinderella's glass slippers." Parker's eyes widened. "Maybe they are!"_

"_Parker-"_

"_Maybe Nate's planning a _Cinderella_ thing."_

"_Really?"_

"_Yeah. Think about it; the mouse, the shoes, dancing. It all adds up."_

"_What about the pumpkin?"_

"_Maybe they'll have pumpkin pie at the thing, or a pumpkin carving contest."_

"_It's September."_

"_Nate's gonna treat Sophie like Cinderella tonight Aw, that's so sweet." Parker momentarily closed her eyes as she began to fantasize._

**…**

Unlike Eliot and Hardison's, Parker set her fairy tale in what she considered the 'appropriate' fairy tale setting. Hers was set in a kingdom, made obvious by the huge castle in the distance. But her focus was on a large house in the kingdom with what appeared to be a tower. Inside the room, Sophie was sleeping in a small bed, a satisfied smile on her face.

Out from under the bed came a mouse, one who bore striking similarities to Parker. The Parker mouse climbed up on Sophie's bed. "Sophie. You gotta get up, it's sunrise." Parker went under the blankets to Sophie's feet and began tickling them.

Sophie giggled. Then she groaned as she got up. She lifted the covers and took the Parker mouse in her hands. "Really, Parker? During my dreams?"

"You gotta get up and start your chores for your stepfamily."

"Story of my life." Sophie filled a basin with water from the nearby pitcher. "I'll get ready; you make sure the other mice are awake."

"Got it!" Parker crawled under the bed waking up the other mice. "Sun's up, get up." She proceeded to go under various furniture. "Gather in the center for attendance," she told the sleeping mice. Once they were gathered, Parker began naming off the lined up mice. "Theresa, and…where's Maggie?" Parker began searching.

A mouse, who looked a lot like Maggie, came crawling through the door. "Parker, there's a new one."

"New recruit? Where'd you find this one?"

"This one's in a trap!"

"Let's go tell Sophie."

As Sophie sat her mirror, Parker and Maggie ran up the small table it was under. "Hello, Maggie," Sophie greeted.

"There's a new one, Soph!"

"Oh," Sophie opened a drawer on the table. She pulled out miniature clothes that her mice were wearing. "She'll need a nice dress and-"

"No, it's a he!" Maggie corrected. "Sophie, he's-"

"-oh," Sophie searched the drawer. "I do have something for a male somewhere, though it has been a while since-"

"-he's in a trap!"

"A trap? Why didn't you say so?" Sophie ran out of the attic and down the steps where a mouse, who looked an awful lot like Eliot, was trapped in a cage. "Poor thing."

"Back off!" Even as a mouse, Eliot was still tough.

"Oh no, no, I'm not going to hurt you."

"How can I trust you?"

"I don't hurt mice." Parker and Maggie were now standing in front of the cage. "I give you all a home, protection, and food."

"I am hungry." Sophie opened the cage and Eliot exited. "How you doin'?" He flirted with Maggie Mouse.

Sophie slipped the shirt over the Eliot mouse. "It's a bit small, bit it'll have to do. Do you have a name, or should I give you one?"

"Name's Eliot."

"I'm Sophie. If you'll be staying with us, you must be on your guard. Avoid my stepfamily at all cost, and especially the cat. You can trust my horse and the stray puppy in the barn. Since you're a strong looking mouse, you can help Parker and I bring you food before I have to serve my stepfamily. Let's go to the kitchen. Maggie, inform the others about Eliot." Sophie, Parker, and Eliot headed to the kitchen while Maggie went back upstairs.

Sophie began preparing breakfast for her stepfamily when she remembered she had to feed the barnyard animals. Parker and Eliot used this time to steal whatever food they could.

"So she can talk to animals?" Eliot asked.

"Cool, huh? The other people can't, but Sophie can. It's sad; she's too nice to be a slave to her stepfamily. This was her place first."

"Stepfamily?"

"Her Dad was a wealthy man and he died before she was born. Sophie's mom did her best to raise Sophie, but felt that she needed a man around the house to help take care of things. So she married a guy with two daughters near Sophie's age, maybe older. They're really ugly."

"What about the cat?"

"Her stepfather's cat. Mean thing. I know he understands Sophie, but he doesn't respond back. Neither does Archie, her horse, or Sam, the puppy. Why'd you bring him up?" Eliot pointed to a hungry looking cat (who reminded him of Chaos). "Hide!"

"I can take him!"

"You don't know this cat," Chaos prepared to pounce. "HIDE!"

Bells were going off as Parker and Eliot hid wherever they could. Three voices were screaming Sophie's name. Sophie ran inside and continued preparing their breakfast as fast as she could, unaware that Eliot was hiding behind one of the teacups. "I'M COMING!" Sophie did a fast walk toward her stepfamily's room, as Chaos Cat followed, trying to catch the Eliot mouse hiding behind one of the trays, which now had lids covering them. Sophie opened the first door. "Good morning, Heather."

"Took you long enough, lazy," a mean voice greeted, "Those clothes over there have to be washed before we go shopping this afternoon. So get to it."

"Yes, Heather." Sophie left that room, now carrying clothes over her shoulder. She entered the next room. "Good morning, Anne."

"It would've been if I had my breakfast when I wanted it," Anne also had a rude tone. "Since you're washing Heather's clothes, you can wash mine. But wash mine first, got it."

"Yes, Anne." Sophie exited with yet more clothes. She entered her stepfather's room. "Good morning Stepfather."

"Yes," his tone wasn't necessarily as bad as his own daughters', but it did give off command. "Doing laundry? Don't forget that pile of clothes over there."

"Yes, Stepfather," Sophie left his room and headed back downstairs.

Chaos, displeased with not catching the mouse, slumped outside his master's room. His face lit up with delight when he heard a scream coming from Anne's room. Anne (who was incredibly similar to Dr. Anne Hannity, but with her hair down). Sophie ran back upstairs. "YOU DID IT ON PURPOSE!" Anne ran into her father's room.

Heather Moscone came out of the other bedroom. "Now what?" Heather glared at Sophie before joining her sister in their father's room.

When Heather opened the door, the first word Sophie made out was 'mouse'. Sophie put two and two together and realized Chaos was covering something. "Alright, Chaos let him go." Chaos just laid there. Sophie grabbed the scruff of his neck and held him to his feet. "Lift up your paw," Chaos lifted up the empty paw. "Now the other one, come on!" Eliot was under Chaos feet, punching Chaos' paw. Sophie scooped up Eliot and put him on the stairs that led to the attic. "Go on."

"Sophie," her stepfather's voice called her. Her stepsisters exited the room as Sophie entered. "Close the doors and come closer." Sophie did as she was instructed.

Parker met up with Eliot on the attic stairs. "That was awfully close," she commented.

"You were right," Eliot said to her, "those sisters are ugly."

"I wonder what Sterling's gonna do to her," Parker worriedly looked at Eliot.

…

In the castle, Grand Duke Hardison knocked on a door. "Your highness, it's time to get up." No response. "Man, don't make me come in there!" Hardison groaned as he entered the prince's bedroom. It was empty. "Oh, Hell no! Not again. The king's gonna be real mad. And who's he gonna get mad at? Me? This job doesn't get any easier." Hardison headed down the hall he stopped a servant, "Have you seen the prince?"

"Nope. Maybe he tried to sneak into town again."

"He better not have! Why is it when royalty screws something up, I have to pay for it?" The Duke left the castle and headed into town.

…

Parker and Eliot stashed in Sophie's dress pockets as she carried rested on a bench with the many items she was forced to carry. "What did Sterling do?" Parker inquired.

"Same as he always does," Sophie began, "added more lists of chores to my list of many chores."

"Why didn't you tell him to shove off?" Eliot asked.

"I'd have nowhere else to go, no food, or money."

"You'd have us," Parker looked up at her.

"And I'm incredibly grateful for that, don't get me wrong, but-"

"Sophie!" Sterling and his daughters exited the store with more merchandise. "What are you doing?"

"Sorry, Stepfather." Sophie grabbed the bags as Eliot and Parker scurried back into her pocket. "I just needed to rest."

"Lazy wench," Heather insulted as she shoved a box at Sophie.

"What do you expect?" Anne thrusted a bag at Sophie. "She doesn't do anything at home either."

Sterling put a smaller box on top of the one Heather shoved at her and followed his daughters. "Keep up, now."

Sophie did her best to follow her stepfamily, but since all of their stuff she was carrying was stacked in her arms and blocking her vision, it made it a tad difficult. The weight of all the items made it hard for her to move as well, but she managed.

Parker and Eliot peered out of her pockets. "Uh, Sophie…" Eliot tried to get her attention.

"Sorry, Eliot. It'll have to wait," Sophie was unaware of where she was walking.

"Sophie." Parker noticed what Eliot noticed.

"Can it wait?"

"LOOK OUT!" The two mice screamed.

Sophie dropped everything she was carrying when she heard fast approaching hooves coming toward her. "Oh, no." She bent down and began to pick everything up.

"Here," an unfamiliar figure was beside her, "let me help you." It was a man's voice.

"Oh no," she tried to dissuade the man. "No it's…" her hand and his touched. She looked up and saw him staring back at her. He had incredibly piercing blue eyes. "…it's alright; I can take care of it."

"Shopping?" He still helped pick up some stuff.

"This is all of my stepfamily's stuff."

"Is any of this yours?"

"No, well it might be if they throw it away when they go home." She looked around. "If you don't mind, I have to find them."

"I'll help you."

"Oh, no, no. If-"

"-I insist." He took another box from her hands.

"They don't really let me talk to strangers, they'd be furious with me."

"Maybe they'll let it slide, just this once."

"You don't know them like I do."

"They pretty tough on you?"

"Sort of."

"Why don't you leave?"

"I'd have nowhere else to go."

"Come with me."

Sophie laughed. "You're funny."

"I'm serious. I'd let you stay with me, I've got enough room."

"Thank you for the offer, but I don't really know you."

"You don't?"

"Should I know you?"

"Well…"

"What do you think you're doing?" Sterling had appeared behind Sophie. "I made it perfectly clear that you're not allowed to talk to strangers."

"He was helping me find you," Sophie lied.

"Don't let it happen again. Let's go."

Nate handed Sophie the rest of her stepfamily's stuff. "I'm serious about my offer."

"Well, if I see you again, I'll consider it," Sophie smiled.

"MOVE IT!" Sterling shouted.

"Goodbye," Sophie moved as fast as she could toward Sterling.

"There you are!" Grand Duke Hardison ran up to Nate. "I have been looking for you everywhere Your-"

"Ssh," Nate covered his mouth. "I'm actually blending in. No one knows who I am."

"It's because you're dressed like a commoner."

"Perfect disguise, huh?"

"You like torturing me like this or somethin'. If I didn't find you, there's no tellin' what your father would say or do to me. Come on, the carriage is waiting."

…

King James was angry when Hardison and Nate entered the throne room. "Where were you?" He questioned his son.

"I went out."

"Out? Unescorted?"

"Jeez, Dad. If I'm old enough to fight battle, after battle, after battle, I'm old enough to go into town and meet my public as one of them."

"But you're the prince! Princes do not do such things!"

"Maybe I was trying to meet someone."

"You…" Jimmy Ford paused for a moment. "Meet someone, eh? Hardison!"

Hardison cautiously walked over to the king. "Yes, Your Highness?"

"Prepare the castle for the ball tonight."

"Ball?"

"Dad?" Nate skeptically raised an eyebrow.

"In honor of his royal highness' homecoming, a ball will be held in his honor," the King spoke as Hardison dictated his words, "At the ball, said royal highness, will meet with every eligible maiden in the kingdom."

"WHAT?"

"This is a royal command, by the order of King James." James finished. "Hardison, you and the messengers go and pass the word around the kingdom. The ball begins at nine o'clock sharp and ends no later than two o'clock a.m."

"Dad, are you out of your mind?"

"Nathan, I'm not getting any younger, and neither are you. I was considering retirement next year, but as the royal law states, I can't; unless of course the eldest royal offspring is married. A few grandkids wouldn't hurt either."

"Dad!"

"We're wasting time here, people! Nathan, go on, go get ready. You have to get ready for the ball. You have to look your best for your future wife."

…

Sterling sat at the piano. "Let's continue our music lesson." Anne picked up her flute. "Key of 'E'," he pushed a key. "And…" he began to play Heather's cue.

Heather began singing. Incredibly loudly, and horribly off key. Anne's poor flute playing didn't make the music lesson any easier to tolerate. Chaos the cat, who was sitting on the couch, ran out of the room as fast as he could. When he entered the main hallway with the front door, Sophie was there washing the floor. She was singing the same song, but more beautifully and on key. Thoughts of the mysterious stranger plagued her mind. Parker and Eliot listened to her beautiful melody as they hid in the wall.

Sophie cut her song short when she noticed Chaos had knocked over her dustpan and pranced around the room leaving dusty paw prints everywhere. "You mean old thing!" She reached for her broom as he proudly slinked away. "I'm just going to have to teach you a less-" The knock on the door cut her off.

A miniature messenger was standing at her door. "An urgent message from his majesty, King James."

"Thank you," Sophie took the scrolled parchment.

Parker and Eliot were standing at her feet. "What's it say?"

"I'm not sure. But if it's from the king it must be important. Maybe I should interrupt the 'music lesson'," Sophie sarcastically smirked at her last words. She knocked on the door to the den.

"What?" That was Sterling's way of telling her to come in. "I've told you not to interrupt during our lessons."

"This message arrived from the king, and-"

Before Sophie could finish, Heather and Anne ran over to her and grabbed the scroll from her hands, fighting over who was gonna read it.

"I'll read it," Sterling took it from one of their hands. As he read over what it said, Parker and Eliot made their way to the room from another hole in the wall. "There's going to be a ball tonight."

"A ball!" Anne and Heather reacted with excitement.

"In honor of Prince Nathan's homecoming. And by royal command, every eligible maiden is to attend."

"Why that's us!" Heather pointed out the obvious.

"And I'm so eligible," Anne batted her eyes.

"That means I can go too," Sophie smiled.

"You will not!" Heather objected. "Can you see her dancing with the prince?" She snickered.

"I'd be honored Your Highness," Anne mocked. "Would you mind holding my broom?" She and her sister laughed.

"Why not?" Everyone looked at Sophie. "I'm still a member of this family. And it says 'by royal command, every eligible maiden is to attend'."

"It does," Sterling agreed. "I see no reason why you can't go," Heather and Anne's jaws dropped. "So long as you complete all your chores, help my girls get ready, and if you can find something suitable to wear."

"Oh I will!" Sophie hurried off to finish her chores.

"Do you realize what you just said?" Heather questioned.

"Of course," Sterling slyly smiled. "I said, 'if'."

…

Just as Sterling had commanded, Sophie had to do her chores, and get her stepsisters ready. But unfortunately, just as Sterling had wanted, she couldn't find anything to wear.

Sophie knocked on the door to the den. "Yes?" Sterling answered.

"The carriage is here," Sophie quietly told him.

"Sophie, you're not ready."

"I'm…I'm not going."

"Not going? Such a shame. Well, there's always next time."

"I suppose," Sophie went upstairs to the attic. She stared out the small window off into the distance where the castle was perched on a hill. "Oh well, it's just a royal ball. I'm sure it'll be frightfully dull, and incredibly boring, and completely…" she sighed, "…completely wonderful."

Eliot and Parker stood behind her. Eliot whistled to get her attention. "Hey, Soph!"

Sophie turned around. The sight behind her made her gasped. A perfectly beautiful pink dress was standing there on a mannequin. "However did you…" Sophie modeled the dress, and the beads provided in the mirror.

"You earned it Soph," Parker smiled.

"But how did you do this?"

"We made this dress from whatever was lying around the house," Eliot responded. "Now, go make your stepsisters cringe."

Sophie picked Eliot up in her hands and kissed his head. "Thank you," she did the same to Parker. "Thank you, for everything."

…

Sterling led his daughters in a procession to the door. "Remember everything I taught you when you're being presented to his majesty. Don't-"

"WAIT!" Sophie called to them. She ran down the stairs in her beautiful dress. "Isn't this lovely?" She twirled around as Parker, Eliot, and Maggie hid in another hole in the wall. "Do you like it? Will it do?"

"Oh Father she just can't come!" Anne whined.

"This isn't fair!" Heather griped.

"Well," Sterling looked at Sophie, "we had a bargain. Didn't we Sophie?" Sophie smiled. Sterling moved closer to her. "And I'm a man who keeps word." He eyed the beads. "These beads, they give it just the right touch. Wouldn't you agree Heather?"

"No, I don't!" Heather huffed. "I think…" her face turned read with anger. "YOU LITTLE THEIF! Those are mine!" Heather ripped the beads off her neck as Sterling backed away.

"And that's my sash!" Anne ripped the sash off the dress.

Anne and Heather began to rip the dress apart until Sterling cleared his throat. "Girls, that's enough. You don't want to upset yourselves when being presented? Now hurry along, we're late enough as it is." He gestured for them to leave. He turned to Sophie, who stood there amongst the remains of a beauful dress in tattered rags. "Goodnight," Sterling pleasantly said to her as he closed the door.

Sophie sank to the floor and began crying. Her three closest friends immediately went to her side. "Sophie," Maggie spoke up.

"It's hopeless," Sophie sobbed. "There's nothing for me to believe in anymore." There was a knock at the door. "What the?" Sophie stood up, wiped away her tears, and answered the door.

"Hi!" Tara was at the door. She wore a light purple robe. Tara made her way past Sophie and toward the backyard.

"Excuse me!" Sophie and the mice followed her to the backyard. "Who are you?"

"There's always something to believe in. You haven't lost all of your faith. If you did, I wouldn't be here."

"But who are you?"

"Oh, I'm Tara."

"Tara who?"

"Really? Seriously? You don't know who I am?"

"Should I?"

"The wand doesn't give it away?"

"What wand?"

Tara looked at her hand. "What did I do with that wand?" Tara smacked her forehead. "I remember." She did a small trick with her hand, and a silver wand appeared in her hand. "Like magic, huh?"

"What are you?"

"I'm your fairy godmother."

"You are?"

"I only appear to those in need, who believe all hope is gone. I'm here to grant you your heart's desire."

"Are you going to send me to the ball?"

"Sure am. Okay," Tara looked around the backyard, "I'm gonna need a coach, a coachman, a footman, and at least three horses."

"I'm afraid I don't have any of those things."

Tara grumbled. "Okay, I'll have to improvise. You got a pumpkin or something?"

"We have one in our garden."

Tara made her way to the pumpkin. "Okay." Tara cleared her throat and aimed her wand at the pumpkin. "Oh shoot, I forgot the magic words. What were they? It was something stupid, I remember that." Tara thought for a moment. "Oh, right. Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo!" The pumpkin turned into the most exquisite carriage anyone ever laid eyes on. "Stupid, huh?"

Sophie marveled at Tara's work. "Oh no, it's beautiful!"

"The ride, yeah that's nice. I meant the magic words." Sophie shrugged. "A ride as elegant as this one needs a few horses."

"I do have a horse in the barn." Sophie led Tara to her barn where her horse, Archie (who bore similar features to Archie Leach).

"I have something else in mind for this one. I need at least three horses."

Parker tugged at Tara's robe. "How about us mice?"

"Whatever, works." Tara aimed her wand at the three mice. "Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo." After the magic dust cleared, there were only two, beautiful horses. "What did I do wrong? I knew there were three." She looked around and found that Eliot had wandered off.

"Ain't no way you're using that thing on me!" Eliot objected.

"Relax, it won't hurt." Eliot began to ran as Tara aimed her wand at him. As Eliot ran, Chaos the cat was waiting for him. Chaos took Eliot in his paws. "Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo!"

The paws were empty. Standing in the mouse's stead was a beautiful horse. The horse whinnied and scared Chaos away.

"Serves him right," Tara smiled. "Okay. Now for the horse."

"Another one?"

"I had something special planned for you," Tara aimed her wand at Archie. "Watch this; this is called a moving transformation. Where I move the horse to where he needs to go while changing him." Magic dust from the wand sparkled out of the wand and Archie began flying. "Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo!" Archie was now a human, dressed in the fanciest outfit, sitting at the driver's seat of the carriage.

"Don't you look handsome," Sophie complimented him. Archie tipped his hat to her.

"Now for the final touch." Sophie closed her eyes in anticipation. "Another one of the moving transformations." Tara aimed her wand at Sam the stray puppy. "Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo!" Sam turned into a human decked out in a fancy outfit like Archie's. "He'll be the footman. You know the guy who opens the door for you, waits at the back of the coach."

"Oh yes, I know. But-"

"-well get in. Times-a wastin'."

"But-"

"No need to thank me. Well, you can later."

"But, don't you think my dress is-"

"-yeah, yeah, it's great but…" Tara got a good look at the dress. "Whoa! Ain't no way you're going dressed like _that_." Tara measured Sophie with her wand. "Okay, this is going to be the grand fianle. Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo!"

Magic dust swirled around Sophie, and when it cleared, the pink tattered rags were gone. Sophie stood there wearing a beautiful, sparkling, silvery, blue dress. "Oh my goodness," Sophie twirled around. "It's so beautiful. Have you ever seen such a beautiful dress?" She asked her now human and horse friends. She looked down at her feet. "Glass slippers?" She hugged Tara. "It's just like I pictured in my dreams."

"I know. Why do you think everything looks the way it does? Now go on, get in, and go to the ball." Sam the footman opened the door for Sophie.

Once she sat down, Sophie took Tara's hand. "Thank you, for everything. It's more than I ever hoped for."

"Thanks. Now go on." Tara waved goodbye as the carriage took off. "WAIT!" She suddenly screamed. The carriage came to a sudden stop. "I forgot the most important thing." Tara looked directly at Sophie. "You must remember this; on the stroke of twelve, the spell will be broken. You've gotta be back here by midnight, no matter what. Promise me you won't forget."

"Oh, I promise."

"Now go! Go have fun while you can." Tara disappeared in a trail of magic dust as the carriage made its way to the castle.

…

Nate yawned as he stood there having to meet and greet all the eligible women of the kingdom. King James and Hardison sat in the balcony of the ballroom watching. Nate did often make a few annoyed glances to his father.

"I don't understand," James watched. "That's almost all of them! He's bound to take an interest in at least one of them! One of them has to make a suitable mother!"

"Your Highness!" Hardison gasped.

"Suitable wife."

"Your Highness, I suggest you don't stress over this. Do I need to remind you about your blood pressure?"

"He's not cooperating!"

"You shouldn't have force him into this. Don't say I didn't warn you this would happen. You're just a hopeless, romantic fool."

The king groaned as he watched his son make yet another annoyed face to him. "I give up!"

"It's not like a romantic fantasy you thought of, Your Highness. I know the way you think; Prince Nate, bored out of his mind, and bowing to whose being presented suddenly stops mid bow and looks up. Standing at the top of the staircase is a most magnificent, beautiful creature he's ever laid eyes on. Noticing the Prince's reaction, the whole ballroom turns and stares in his direction to notice the girl. She looks a little scared as she looks around at the many eyes gazing at her. The Prince, his eyes focused directly upon her, makes his way through the crowd and stands at the bottom of the stairs as she slowly makes her way down."

"Do I speak my dreams or something?"

"It takes make a nice fairy tale fantasy. But in real life, things don't work out that way, brother."

"I'm the king; I'll make it work that way!"

It was the Sterling Sisters' turn to present themselves. "Your highness," Jim Sterling bowed, "may I present my daughters, Heather and Anne Sterling."

The two sisters were fighting as to who was going to meet him first, and tripping over their own dresses when they realized it was their time to present themselves. With nervously loud giggles, the sisters bowed to the prince.

"Charmed," Nate bowed. But suddenly mid bow, he stopped. He looked straight up at the staircase in front of him. Noticing where the prince was looking, the entire ballroom turned their attention toward the staircase. Sophie was standing there nervously eyeing the ballroom. She gulped as she slowly made her way down the staircase. Prince Nate pushed himself through the crowd and met her at the bottom. He bowed to her, and she reciprocated by curtsying. Nate took her hand. "Hello." He kissed her hand.

Sophie nervously laughed. "Hello to you too sir."

Nate offered her his arm. "Shall we dance?"

She cautiously took his arm. "I'm afraid I don't dance."

"Neither do I." He led her to the center of the ballroom.

In the balcony, Hardison's jaw nearly hit the floor. "Unbelievable."

"Ha-ha-ha," the king chuckled with delight. "The Waltz!" He yelled to the composer. "Now!"

The music started playing as Nate and Sophie danced in the center of the ballroom. All eyes upon them. Including the eyes of her stepfamily.

"Who is she?" Anne questioned.

"Do we know her?" Heather asked.

"The prince certainly seems to know her. I've never seen her."

"Neither have I," Sterling tried to examine her. "There is something familiar about that girl, though." He tried to get a better look. "I just can't put my finger on it."

When the music stopped, Nate took Sophie's hand. "Follow me."

The king watched with sheer delight. "Ha-ha! This is going perfectly." He yawned. "I think now is as good as time to turn in."

Grand Duke Hardison yawned as well. "Yep. Man, am I tired. Look at the time, man it's nearing midnight."

King James pushed him away. "Not you! Keep a close eye on them. And when he proposes, notify me immediately." He turned to leave.

"Notify me immediately," Hardison mocked.

"And remember," James turned back to him, "if anything goes wrong," he mimicked decapitation. "Have a pleasant evening, Hardison."

…

Nate led Sophie into the castle gardens. She gasped in awe. "It's so beautiful."

"Isn't it?" He gestured for her to sit at the fountain. "I like to sit here and collect my thoughts when I'm here."

"The view is breathtaking."

"It doesn't seem so," Nate took her hands in his hands, "but with you here, it seems more than magical." Sophie smiled. "Have we ever met?"

"Oh, I doubt it. I don't get out often, and I don't know a lot of people."

"You know me." Nate stared into her eyes. "It's funny, it's like I've met you before, even though you said we haven't."

She stared into his piercing blue eyes. "Maybe we met in another life."

"It's possible." He leaned in for a kiss, but she backed away. "What's the matter?"

"I can't fall in love with you."

"Why not?"

"You wouldn't love me if you knew who I really was."

"So tell me who you really are."

"I can't."

"Why?"

"I don't know why, I just can't."

"Are you real?"

"Of course I am! Why would you ask that?"

"You're too beautiful to be real."

"You think I'm beautiful?"

"I don't think, I know. I know you're beautiful." He leaned in for a kiss again. But this time, she didn't back away, and surrendered to her desire.

The clock chime made her pull away. "Oh my goodness!"

"What? What's wrong?"

"It's a minute til midnight."

"So?"

"Goodbye." She headed for the exit.

"You can't go now."

"Oh, I have to."

"Why?"

"I…the prince! I have to meet the prince!"

"The prince?"

"It was a lovely night," Sophie ran away.

"Wait!" Nate ran after her.

Sophie brushed past the Grand Duke, who was trying his best to stay awake. "Goodbye," She waved to him.

"Goodbye." He realized who she was. "Hey!" He began chasing after her.

Nate came into the castle. "Wait!" As he tried to follow her, a swarm of women surrounded him, happy to see him alone.

Sophie ran down the stairs to her waiting carriage. As she ran, the glass slipper on her left fell off of her foot. She didn't seem to notice because she hurried into the carriage, and it took off like a bat outta hell.

Nate made his way out to the stairs, but was too late. He sighed as he slumped onto the steps of the palace. A glimmer caught his eye. He picked up the glass slipper Sophie left behind.

Hardison came running out, nearly out of breath. "S-s-sorry Your Highness. I wish I could have run faster, but in these shoes, it makes it hard to run in general."

"Get my Dad."

"What? Aw man, if your dad finds out what happens, he's gonna kill himself a duke."

"He's going to find out anyway. Tell him I'm leaving tomorrow morning."

"Where are you going?"

"She has to live somewhere in this kingdom. I'm going to search every inch of it. I will not rest until I find the woman whose foot fits this slipper. And when I find her, I'm gonna marry her."

Meanwhile, Sophie and her animal friends were walking home. True to Tara's word, the magic was gone by midnight, and everything was back to normal. Sophie walked home in a daze. "That was the most magical night of my life. I wish it could have lasted forever." Once she reached her home, she immediately sat down. "And he was so handsome, and his eyes were so...Oh, I bet the prince himself wasn't as handsome as he was. Well, it's over. It's nothing more than a-"

"Look!" Parker pointed to Sophie's feet.

Sophie looked down. "A slipper!"

"What happened to the other one?" Eliot asked.

"I guess it must've fallen off." Sophie clutched the slipper close to her heart and looked up into the stars. "Thank you, Tara. Thank you so much, for everything."

…

Sterling was up incredibly early the next morning. "Sophie! Sophie!" He called around the house. "Where is that lazy wench?"

"Here I am," Sophie came out of the kitchen. "What's the matter?"

"Where are my girls?"

"I think they're still in bed."

Sterling groaned. "Don't stand there! Hurry up with the breakfast trays."

Parker and Eliot observed this. "I wonder what's the matter," Parker led Eliot to yet another hole in the wall, and up to one of the stepsisters' rooms.

"Anne!" Sterling had just come from Heather's room. "Anne, get up, now!"

"Why?" Anne yawned.

"The whole kingdom is talking about it," Sterling pulled back the curtains.

"About what?" Heather sleepily entered her sister's room.

"About that girl. The one who lost her slipper at the ball last night."

Heather laid on her sister's bed. "How is this relevant to us?"

Sophie entered with the breakfast trays as Sterling ripped the cover off of Anne's bed. "Because," he continued, "no one knows her identity, not even the prince"

"And?" Anne raised an eyebrow.

"Whoever she is, the prince has fallen madly in love with her."

"The prince?" Sophie whispered.

"The prince has been searching from house to house looking for the girl who fits the slipper."

"And?" The stepsisters asked in unison.

"Whoever's foot fits the slipper will be the prince's bride."

"His bride?" Sophie smiled under her breath.

Heather and Anne immediately got out of bed and threw clothes at Sophie. Sophie just stood there with a romantic grin on her face.

Anne noticed this. "What's the matter with you?"

"Wake up stupid!" Heather barked, "we've gotta get dressed."

"Dressed?" Sophie looked down at her outfit. "Oh yes, we must get dressed for the prince." She walked off in a daze up to the attic, humming the waltz tune from the ball.

Sterling took notice and put the pieces together. He took out a key from his pocket and followed her to the attic.

The ever observant Parker and Eliot mice took notice. "Sterling knows," Eliot noted. "We gotta warn Sophie!" They rushed into the hole in the wall and up to the attic. Sophie was brushing her hair in the mirror.

"SOPHIE!" Parker and Eliot jumped up and down on the table in front of the mirror trying to get her attention. "SOPHIE! BEHIND YOU!"

"What?" She glanced in the mirror at Sterling. "No!" Sterling locked the door behind him. And unfortunately for Sophie, the door could only be unlocked from the outside. "No! Please! Let me out! Please!"

Parker and Eliot slid out of the door and watched as Sterling put the key in his pocket. The two mice followed him and watched as Sterling hid the key in his bedroom before going downstairs to join his daughters. "Let's go!" Eliot led Parker into the bedroom.

"How are we gonna get this back upstairs? It won't fit through the wall!" Parker reminded.

"Then we're gonna have to climb the attic stairs!"

"Are you crazy?"

"Maybe, but we're doing this for Sophie. Just keep telling yourself that!"

Parker and Eliot carried the key to the bottom of the attic stairs and looked up. "I'm doing this for Sophie," Parker repeated to herself, "for Sophie."

…

Sterling answered the door when the Prince and Grand Duke came knocking. "Your Highness," Sterling bowed. "May I present my daughters, Heather and Anne Sterling."

The look on Nate's face made it obvious that none of those girls was the mystery maiden. Hardison could tell. "You gotta do it," he whispered to Nate, "_every_ foot."

Nate groaned. "Hello ladies. Let's get this over with."

Hardison held in his hand a pillow with an object on the pillow covered up with a small blanket. When he revealed the glass slipper, the girls got hyper.

"That's my slipper!" Heather reached for it.

"No, I like that style," Anne defended. "It's my size, I can tell."

"There is only one way to tell," Nate gestured for the sisters to sit down. He could tell by looking that Anne's foot was too small, and Heather's was too big. But, by royal command, he had to try _every_ foot.

…

"We're coming Sophie!" Eliot and Parker were at her door, Eliot carrying the front of the key, Parker carrying the end.

Sophie looked out of the keyhole. "You got the key!" Eliot went under the door ready to get the key from Parker, when Parker and the key were caught by Chaos' paw. "Chaos! Let her go! Please!" Chaos let out a cat snicker.

"I'm gonna get him," Eliot was ready to fight.

"No. Sam! Eliot, whistle, maybe Sam will hear you."

Eliot whistled a few times. Outside in the barn, Sam perked up his head. He ran inside the house and up to where he heard the whistling. When he saw the cat, he knew that was the trouble. So he growled at Chaos. Frightened, Chaos ran away, Sam following. Parker and the key were now free.

…

Hardison and Nate were ready to leave. Nate turned back. "There are no other ladies in this house I hope? I mean…I presume."

"There are no other ladies of the household," Sterling answered.

"Alright, let's go."

"Wait!" Sophie stood at the top of the main stairs. "Your Highness, please."

Nate made his way to the bottom of the stairs. "Hello." He held out his hand for her to take. He led her to a chair at the bottom of the stairs.

"Pay no attention to our servant girl," Sterling requested.

"We have to try _every_ foot," Nate reminded Sterling as he helped Sophie sit down.

Hardison snickered. He moved closer to the Sophie and the prince. But as he was walking, Sterling held out his foot and tripped him. Hardison dropped the slipper, and it shattered into pieces. "Aw man." He began crying. "The king's gonna kill himself a duke."

Nate looked at the pieces of glass. "It's hopeless." He sighed. "Maybe she wasn't real, and I just believed she was."

"That's the thing about believing," Sophie looked at him, "when all hope seems lost, and we've stopped believing, something magic happens," she pulled out the other slipper from her apron pocket.

Nate smiled as he took the slipper from her and placed it on her foot. "It's the perfect fit." He helped her up and embraced her while the mice were standing at the top of the stairs dancing.

Tara appeared in the center of the room in all her magical glory. "See, Sophie. The real magic is inside you." They hugged each other. "But I still wanna perform a little magic of my own. Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo" She aimed the wand at the stepfamily and turned them into frogs.

"Tara!"

"They'll be back to normal by midnight. Now, for my last trick," She pointed the wand at Sophie and Nate. "Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo!"

When the magic dust settled, there stood a bride and her groom at the altar at the castle church. "So that's why you just up and left at midnight?" Nate raised an eyebrow to her. "You're not going to that again, are you Sophie?"

"I don't know. Does that offer about me living with you still stand?"

"Oh yeah, and that offer lasts way beyond midnight."

Nate and Sophie kissed each other as the kingdom let out celebratory cheers.

**…**

"_Park-er!" Hardison sounded it. "Girl, what's wrong with you?"_

"_I think it's possible for animals to look like humans," she smiled._

"_Man, what goes on inside that head of yours?"_

"_Nate and Sophie leave?" Hardison nodded. "Let's just get back to watching the dog."_

"_Do I even want to know?"_

"_Did you put the chip in Nate's jacket?"_

"_You better believe it."_

"_Let's check it out." Parker sat beside Hardison as he clicked the TVs on. But the visual on the TV, was just the closet with a note beside it with Nate's handwriting_

_Nice try, Hardison_

_Nate, meanwhile, did spend most of his evening dancing with Sophie, as he had promised her. "See Nate, you're not such a bad dancer," she assured._

"_Only because I'm dancing with you."_

"_You're romantic lines can be so cheesy sometimes."_

"_Yes, they can. But you know you love them."_

"_Can you not be right about things for once?"_

"_I suppose I could, but I choose not to be."_

"_You're incorrigible."_

"_Hey, I've got a surprise for you."_

"_You finally going to propose?"_

"_If I was, would I have said I had a surprise for you?"_

"_Well, that's true. But I can't imagine what you have planned? Dinner, dancing, a private area just for us to eat, and the shoes. What else can you surprise me with?"_

"_Hiya, Soph," Tara was behind her._

"_Tara!" Sophie hugged her friend. "Gosh, I've missed you."_

"_Missed you too."_

"_What are you doing here in Boston?"_

"_I'm on a long con deal. Squeezed in some time to see ya."_

"_I'm glad you did. But what are you doing here?"_

"_Nate invited me to come see you before I go back to my hotel. I tried going to your apartment when I first got here but you weren't there. I ran into Nate and he told me what was going on, and if you want, I'm sure I can adjust my schedule to visit you at the apartment now that you've got that cute puppy. I can't really stay too long here, so I've gotta go."_

"_No, stay."_

"_Sorry, Soph. Besides, it's date night." She hugged her goodbye. "Love the shoes by the way."_

_Sophie turned to Nate. "Thank you, Nate."_

"_I'm full of surprises aren't I?"_

"_Are you sure that's your only surprise tonight?"_

"_No proposal."_

"_Naaaate!" she whined._

"_It's coming when you least expect it."_

"_I least expect!"_

_Nate chuckled at her. "Nice try," he kissed her forehead._

_The waiter appeared at their table. "Did you enjoy your dinner?"_

"_Yes," Nate answered._

"_Would you like some dessert?"_

_"Eh, sure._ _Whatcha got?"_

"_Our special tonight is pumpkin pie."_

* * *

**UGH! These things are running so long! They might as well be actual Leverage episodes. I wasn't so sure how to end this, but I wasn't going to end it with a proposal (keep y'all waiting). Yes, there are some modern-ish words in there, that's planned. It's Parker's mind after all. Yes, it's mostly the Disney version (it's my most favorite). Here's the list.**

**Nate: Prince Charming**

**Sophie: Cinderella**

**Eliot: a Jaq/Gus cross, but has most Gus moments/mannerisms**

**Parker: a Jaq/Gus cross, but has more Jaq moments/mannerisms**

**Hardison: The Grand Duke**

**Tara: Fairy Godmother**

**Sterling: Evil Stepmother (how can you not use him as a bad guy?)**

**Jimmy Ford: The King**

**Heather Moscone (**_**Wedding Job)**_**: Drizella**

**Dr. Anne Hannity (**_**Inside Job**_**): Anastasia**

**Maggie: I guess all of the other mice**

**Chaos: Lucifer**

**Archie Leach (**_**Inside Job**_**): Cinderella's horse, I thought of human Archie as the coachman, so I made him the horse/coachman. The actor who played Archie also played the prince in _The Slipper and the Rose_ (Britain's Cinderella musical)**

**Nate and Sophie meeting in town is most likely the 1997 Brandy version of Cinderella**

**Tara almost forgetting the midnight deal is actually from _Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child_ where a mini, Mexican fairy godmother, voiced by Liz Torres, remembered the midnight thing just as the coach was taking off**

**The fairy godmother appearing at the end I thought first of **_**Faerie Tale Theatre**_** with Jean Stapleton from **_**All in the Family**_

**Those are the ones I can think of off the top of my head.**

**By the way; as of Parker's story, all of the characters who have a fairy tale fantasy have appeared in other's fantasies. I know which ones I have left to go; do you?**


	5. Sophie's Fantasy

**Okay, its official; I've went from tolerable to slightly awesome (well, that's what my sister said). It's so weird, it's like I actually get these fantasies in my head like a Leverage episode, complete with commercials I've seen earlier on my own TV. Eerie. **

**I'm a nerd, I outline how I plan to do these and coming up with an outline for this took me a while, but I'm gonna make it work. However, this one not only features one, but two fairy tales. I combined them both together because I couldn't figure out which one to use individually.**

**By the way I should point out two things I felt I needed to correct for continuity purposes;**

**Eliot changes the name of his characters in his fantasy, but none of the others do in theirs (and most likely won't in upcoming stories): I realized this, but I also realized how many different variations of Robin Hood there were and the characters kept their original names, so I altered them to fit both Leverage and Robin Hood. Plus the whole Robin Hood isn't necessarily a fairy tale debate (even though I think it is) might be another reason, I'm still not sure. And I guess Eliot's a-special.**

**Hardison mentions it's September before Parker's fantasy, but his fantasy features Valentine's Day; the real setting I used is actually around fall because this chapter will mention Halloween, Hardison just set his fantasy around Valentine's Day.**

**We have another Leverage member's fantasy before getting to 3 recurring characters (the identities may or may not surprise you).**

**Here's Sophie's fantasy. Shocker; this one DOESN'T have Sterling. **

* * *

_Halloween was drawing more and more closer. At Parker's constant whining, the team decided to go costume shopping (yes, actual shopping, not stealing) and throw their own private costume party, much to Nate's chagrin. All on the day before Halloween._

"_It'll be fun," Nate and Sophie were off on their own looking at couple's costumes. Sophie eyed the Romeo and Juliet costume. "What about-"_

"_No!"_

"_Nate, it's our first official Halloween together. It'll be fun to dress up in costume."_

"_I don't like dressing up, I barely did it for Sam and Maggie, and I'm not going to do it for you. I'm going to wear my annual Halloween costume."_

"_The t-shirt that says, 'this is my costume'?"_

"_The very same."_

"_Couples costumes are fun! Think of the many possibilities; Romeo and Juliet, Arthur and Guinevere, Brangelina."_

"_Brangelina?"_

"_You prefer Bogey and Bacall? We should do something unique."_

"_Wear a nametag that says Paula, and I'll wear one that says Paul. A 'Hey Paula' thing. That's unique, right?"_

"_What about character costumes? You can be Gilligan, I could be MaryAnn"_

"_Sophie-"_

"_What about this?" She modeled a sexy nurse outfit. "We could play doctor."_

_Nate put the costume back. "We could do that without costumes."_

_Sophie groaned. "If Eliot's dressing up, you should too."_

"_I'll put on some glasses and go as Nate Ford's evil twin."_

_Sophie had a thoughtful look on her face. "Come with me."_

"_Where are you going?"_

"_Character costumes."_

"_You're seriously not considering that Gilligan, MaryAnn thing are you?"_

"_You prefer Gilligan and Ginger?"_

_Parker, Eliot, and Hardison, meanwhile, were at another end of the store. "What are you guys going as?" Parker asked._

"_The less you know, the better," Eliot grumbled as he grabbed a costume. "I mean, it's a surprise. I'm gonna go pay for this."_

"_Wait, what are you going as?" Eliot was out of sight. "Man, it would suck if Eliot and I wore the same costume."_

_Hardison looked at Parker. "Then why don't you get a specific girl costume?"_

"_Why?"_

"_Then maybe…" Hardison seemed a bit nervous, "…maybe I could dress up as the boy that goes with the girl."_

_Parker stared at him. "Like what couples do?"_

"_Sure."_

"_I don't wanna get couples costumes. Nate and Sophie are the couple."_

"_Oh," Hardison seemed a bit crushed. "I thought you and I could kinda match in what we were wearing. Like what friends do."_

"_That's also more a couple thing." Parker went down the aisle. "I wanna avoid fairy tale stuff." She made her way to the character aisle. "Perfect!" She held up her costume._

_Hardison eyed it. "That would look…a little short on you maybe."_

"_Tinkerbell was short. Hey, maybe you can go as Captain Hook."_

_Hardison thought about that. "You know, I never did dress up as a pirate before. Smart thinkin' Parker." The second he looked at Parker, she was trying on her costume in the middle of the store. "Whoa girl!" He covered his eyes. "They got fitting rooms you know."_

_Once they were all done, they all climbed into Nate's car. "Don't make me regret this," Nate looked at Parker as she made herself comfortable in the middle of the back._

"_Okay. So where are your costumes?"_

"_We didn't buy any here," Sophie answered._

"_What? Was it Nate's fault?"_

"_We're buying ours somewhere else after we drop you guys off," Nate informed her._

"_We did buy Sam's costume here, though," Sophie showed Parker Sam's costume._

"_Aww, how cute!" She looked at the costume. "It's the size of a baby costume, but it's for dogs."_

_Sophie's eyes lit up. "Nate, I just thought of the perfect costumes for us."_

"_Sophie."_

"_You don't have to get all dressed up, it's…" Sophie noticed the other three leaning forward. "…I'll tell you when we're alone."_

_Following a busy night of searching for their special costumes, Sophie had a lot of trouble falling asleep. Nate, not so much, he slept through the night. When Sophie finally fell asleep, Nate woke up._

"_Morning," Nate kissed her._

_Sophie moaned. "Why did you do that?"_

"_I do that every morning; it's how I make sure my sleeping beauty's awake."_

"_Well sleeping beauty didn't get any sleep last night."_

"_Oh? Somethin' you ate?"_

"_That was Snow White, Nate."_

"_I know. I mean were you up with a stomachache or something?"_

"_I just couldn't sleep."_

"_Want me to crawl back in bed with you?"_

"_No, do your thing. Just give me a couple more hours of sleep, please."_

"_Yes, Princess," She laughed as he kissed her. "Try not to sleep for a hundred years, please."_

"_No promises." She curled up with the blanket and drifted off to dream land._

**…**

There was no use arguing in her fantasy, Sophie Devereaux was the best grifter ever. Teams would give up their limbs just to meet her. Not only was she the perfect grifter, but her thieving skills were pretty diverse too. She also learned a few hacking techniques and fighting moves, though they were basic, little things.

This did not go unnoticed, particularly by Colin Mason, aka Chaos. Chaos was the right hand man, second in command on Marcus Starke's team.

"Chaos," Starke went up to him at his computer. "Find out everything you can on this Sophie Devereaux."

"What for? We know practically everything about her anyway."

"I'm gonna recruit her, maybe put her second in command."

"What? No!"

"Why not?"

"It's too risky, and you've got what you need. You've got a hacker, a hitter, and a theif, and you even double as the grifter."

"I'm not as good as she is, and we could definitely use her on our team."

"Get your mastermind back and you be the full time grifter."

"No!" Starke was firm in his answer. "He chose to leave, I'm mastermind now. And as mastermind, I'm telling you to get me Sophie Devereaux."

"Dead or alive?"

"What the hell is your problem? What part of 'I want to recruit Sophie Devereaux' didn't you comprehend you little maggot? Get typing on your little magic computer and find her." Starke left in a huff. "Angry little bastard," he muttered.

Chaos pounded on his desk and reached for his 'stress Koosh'. He nearly squeezed the life out of that thing. "Sophie Devereaux is not going to mess this up for me. She is not getting on this team, even if I have to kill her myself!"

Apollo listened to Chaos' confession on his ear bud comm. "Starke," He went to find the mastermind.

…

Sophie sat in the park with her golden retriever puppy Sam. 'Boston is a nice city', she thought as she took in the views around her.

"Katherine Clive?" Starke sat beside her.

"What can I do for you?" She looked at him.

"I'm here to save your life. You're in danger Sophie Devereaux."

"How do you—"

"No time to explain. Don't go to your apartment."

"What?"

"Maybe I should introduce myself."

"That would be a nice start."

"My name is Marcus Starke, I run the nastiest crew this side of the Atlantic."

"I've heard good things about your operation. I thought you were the grifter."

"Our mastermind retired. I wanted to recruit you as our second in command."

"As is the grifter position on a con team."

"However, our current second in command isn't too happy about that. His name's Colin Mason, he goes by the alias Chaos. He's one of the greatest hackers ever. He's planted a bomb in your apartment, set to go off about…now." An explosion was heard a few blocks away. "He wasn't bluffing."

"How did he find me?"

"He's good. He found your place, we watched the security footage, we got to you first."

"Is he jealous of me?"

"It seems so. You've gotta get out here, or he's gonna find you, and strike harder."

"I…I just settled here. I literally have nowhere else to go. Everything I owned was in that apartment."

"Then you've gotta hide someplace. Anyplace. Just so long as Chaos doesn't find you."

"Where do you suggest?"

"Somewhere in this city is Chaos' rival. Goes by the name Alex Hardaway or something like that. Some are calling him the greatest hacker who ever lived, which ticks off Chaos. I'm sure that guy will protect you."

"How do I find him?"

"I don't know. Ask a cop or someone who's tried tracking him down."

"I can't go to cops. Do you know how many different aliases I have? A cop can bust me for falsifying identities, especially my thieving identities."

"I wish I could help you." Starke looked down at her dog. "Maybe I can."

"How?"

"I know Chaos and…whatever Chaos' rival's name is…have stolen each other's items on more than one occasion. If I get something Chaos stole from him, maybe your dog could sniff him out." Sam looked up at Starke. "Aww, cute little thing. How old is he?"

"I got him on my birthday in July when he was three months old, so I guess he's six months old now."

"Gettin' big," Starke petted the pooch. "Listen, if you need a place for this guy to stay-"

"Thank you, but he'll be fine with me."

"Can't say I didn't try." He kissed her cheek as he left. "Good luck, Soph…I mean Katherine."

…

In another area of town, Eliot, Hardison, and Parker were running for their lives when a stranger in a black car pulled up beside them. "Get in," the voice commanded.

"Hell no!" Eliot growled. He quickly reconsidered when shots were being fired. "Shotgun." He hurried into the front seat.

The driver sped off. "I've heard about you three."

"Who are you?"

"I'm on your side, that's all you need to know."

"We owe you one, brother," Hardison took a moment to catch his breath.

"I think you've been more than satisfied to know I've found you a secret location in downtown Boston, nice apartment above a bar called _McRory's_."

"Why are you doing this?" Parker questioned.

"I need your help." The driver stopped the car. "Perhaps you've heard of Starke's crew?"

"Who hasn't?"

"Are you their mysterious mastermind?" Hardison tried to get a better look at the driver, but he had on a large hat and dark sunglasses.

"I have access to their location and information. I assume you, Alec Hardison, are familiar with Chaos?"

"We have a…negative relationship."

"Chaos is trying to kill a grifter Starke's trying to recruit. He blew her up place, but Starke got to her first. Recruit her, hide her. She has over fifty aliases, but she goes by Sophie Devereaux."

"_The_ Sophie Devereaux?" Eliot inquired.

"The very same. Keep an eye out for her; make it look like she found you on her own." He stopped the on Newbury Street. "She's around here somewhere with her golden retriever."

"Why do you want us to take care of Sophie Devereaux?"

"We have…a history. My dad knew her dad, we played together as kids. She was my first…friend, and a man always looks after his friends."

"Aww," Parker awed, "did you kiss her?"

"Get out of my car."

The three left the mysterious mastermind's car and searched the streets for Sophie and her dog.

The barking of a golden retriever at Hardison made it a tad easier. "I think we found the dog," Hardison backed away behind Parker. "I don't think he likes me!"

Sophie was sitting at the table beside her dog. "You must be Alex Hardaway,"

"Alec Hardison," Hardison stepped forward. "You're Sophie Dev-"

She shushed him. "Katherine Clive while I'm here."

"Come with us," Eliot instructed, "we're gonna protect you."

"And who are you?"

"We're a team," Parker explained. "Hardison's our hacker, Eliot's our hitter, and I'm the theif."

"Who's your mastermind?"

"Don't need one."

"We're a team that nobody is supposed to know about," Hardison whispered.

"We keep getting caught."

"Our team could use a grifter," Eliot smiled. "You in?"

Sophie looked at the three of them. "I'm in."

"Let's go." The team, and Sam, headed in the direction they came from. When they found the car, the keys were in the ignition, but the mastermind was gone. "Where'd he go?"

"Who?"

"The mysterious mastermind driver man," Parker looked under the car. "He's kinda creepy."

"He says he knows you," Hardison remembered. "You were his first 'friend'."

"Aww," Sophie swooned, "he remembers me." She paused. "Unless it's not really him. Do you have any idea where he went, or what he looked like?"

"We don't even know this guy's name. He's given us a hideout about _McRory's_ bar and apparently the keys to his expensive looking car. Tried to disguise himself too."

"If memory serves, and if he's not using a different identity, his name is Nate Ford, but then this mystery man might be an enemy of mine too. Irregardless, I know where this place is, I'm driving," Sophie got in behind the wheel while the rest of the team settled themselves, and Sam, into the car.

As they drove off, Nate Ford put down the newspaper blocking his face. "You never forget your first kiss."

…

"Nice," Eliot commented on the apartment as they entered it for the first time. "Makes a good hideout."

"So much bigger than my place," Parker opened the vent on the wall and looked into it. "It's normal size."

"There's somethin' wrong with you."

"Damn, them some high def TVs," Hardison looked at the six TVs. "Whoever lived here had it made."

Sam sniffed his surroundings as Sophie prepared him some water in a bowl. "Makes a nice starter place for a couple. Something must've happened to the previous tenant, or tenants that made them flee without their stuff."

"No signs of foul play anywhere," Eliot searched their headquarters. "Maybe it was the driver's place, or that Nate guy's place."

"Is there a photo of him lying around? I'm sure I could tell by his eyes."

"No photos anywhere by the looks of it. If it is this Nate guy, he's gone to great lengths to keep his identity a secret."

"But we know his name," Parker reminded.

"A name he probably doesn't use anymore. It might not even be the Nate guy. Think Parker."

"You don't have to be so serious all the time; it makes you seem really mean."

"Alright," Hardison handed Eliot a key, "I know how you like destroying stuff, so I need you to go back to our hideout and destroy everything."

"Everything?" Eliot smiled.

"Everything. We can't take no chances; I still had some of Chaos' stuff over there."

"Bring me back Fluffy Bunny!" Parker called to Eliot as he left. "I love Fluffy Bunny." Sophie, Parker, and Hardison sat on the sofa in their new living room. "Now what?"

"We could start preppin' for a job or somethin'." Hardison suggested.

"I feel like I want to go shopping," Sophie looked at Parker, "but I don't have any money."

"Ooh!" Parker's eyes lit up. "Let's go shopping tomorrow. We have all that money we never use anyway."

"I have to get Sam some food anyway."

"Yeah," Parker whistled and Sam came scampering over to her. "We got ourselves a doggy to take care of." Sam licked Parker's face as Parker giggled. "Is he not the cutest dog ever?"

…

The gang took to their separate ways the next morning as they went shopping. Parker headed to some hardware and candy stores, Hardison took to any place with electronics, Eliot hit the sporting goods store, while Sophie stuck to clothing stores. But first, she had to go to the pet store.

"What do you feed a six month old dog?" She looked at the selections of food. "What's the most expensive?" She looked around for some assistance. All she found was a man in dark sunglasses looking at cat food. "Excuse me," she called him over. "I don't know what to buy for my sixth month old golden retriever. Whenever I shop at department stores, I get this brand, but this brand seems more…I'm not quite sure what word I'm looking for, but I'm leaning towards buying that brand."

"Not sure. Are you trying to buy the cheapest, or expensive, or healthiest, or what?"

"A combination of all three wouldn't hurt."

"Then I'd go with that brand," he helped put a huge bag of dog food into her shopping cart.

"I was hoping for something a bit smaller," she chuckled.

"Okay," he put the food back and put in a smaller bag. "That should do it for ya."

She smiled at him. "Thank you…"

"Dean. Dean Rogers."

"Annie Kroy." She shook his hand.

"You from England?"

"I was born in England. I lived here in Boston when I was younger, returned back to England, vacationed all over Europe, came back to America, now I'm here."

"Globe-trotter?"

"You could say that. What do you do Dean?"

"I was a former Insurance investigator for IYS. Now I do odd jobs around Boston trying to make a quick buck or two."

"Not so easy in this economy, huh?"

"If I didn't love Boston so much I'd relocate to Canada."

"Why Canada?"

"Why not?"

Sophie laughed. "That's always the answer to everything isn't it?"

He shrugged. "Listen, I've got some free time. You want to grab a bite to eat?"

"Oh, that's a nice offer but…" Sophie thought about it. "…sure. I could kill some time before I meet up with my friends."

"You like Burger King?"

"I haven't had Burger King in years."

"So, that's a yes?"

…

Parker called Hardison on his phone. "Parker, Parker, slow down. Breathe," Hardison took some deep breaths. "You calm? You calm? Okay good. Now what were you saying?"

"I can't find Sophie anywhere! I can't get her on her cell phone either!"

"Alright, I can fix this. The sim card I put in her phone has a GPS tracking system in it." Hardison pulled up GPS on his phone while putting Parker on speaker. "Okay, her phone is off."

"Can you track her with her phone off?"

"Maybe," Hardison made some adjustments. "Got her." He looked at the location her signal was coming from. "She's at the Burger King on-"

"-Burger King? Why's her phone off?"

"Maybe it's not off. There's a chance it needs to be charged."

"As long as she's okay. We need to get those cool ear bud comms you see on the spy channel."

Hardison looked into his nearly overstuffed shopping cart. "I got 'em in here somewhere. Why don't I pay for my stuff, get a hold of Eliot, and we'll all catch a movie or somethin'."

"Okay, I'll get Sophie."

…

Sophie let out a satisfied sound as she bit into a BK apple fry. "These things are so good."

"Really?" Dean asked her. "I never did like those. Why did you get those?"

"I try to eat healthy."

"Makes sense." He looked behind her at a hooded guy with his laptop.

"Something wrong, Dean?"

"Get out of here."

"Excuse me?"

"Don't look behind you Sophie."

"How do you-"

"He's behind you."

"What? Who's behind me?"

"What's the opposite of order?"

Sophie had to think about that. "Chaos?" She asked confused. She gasped. "Chaos!"

"He must've followed me."

"Followed you? You seem to know he's trying to kill me."

An excited girl in glasses ran up to the hooded guy with the laptop with a pen and a napkin. "Hi! Can I have your autograph Mr. Wheaton?"

The man laughed. "Please, call me Wil," he signed her napkin. "Always nice to meet a fan."

"Never mind," Dean took a drink from his cup. "It's just the kid from _Stand By Me_."

"Alright Dean," Sophie leaned back in her seat and glared at him, "if that is your real name, why did you think Chaos, someone who's trying to kill me, is following you?"

"I used to track down Chaos, when I was an insurance investigator. He's one of the reasons I had to quit. He's got some grudge against me and wants me dead too."

"Is Dean even your real name?"

"No."

"Then how am I supposed to believe that story?"

"Just trust me, Sophie."

"Could you take off your sunglasses, please."

Nate pointed to Parker. "Your friend's here."

Sophie turned around to see Parker enter the establishment. She turned back around to ask another question, but he was gone.

Parker skeptically raised an eyebrow. "Why do you have two trays?"

"Um…it's for you," Sophie lied.

"Aw thanks." Parker looked at the uneaten food. "You coulda got me a drink."

….

Standing across the street from the fast food eatery as Nate Ford drove away, another hooded guy with a laptop sinisterly cackled. "Thank you Nate," he looked at his laptop, which was showing Nate driving away, and the footage of him at Burger King with Sophie. "Trackers, they sure do come in handy." Chaos glared at Sophie and Parker, who were exiting the restaurant and let out the same sinister cackle. "I've got you now, Sophie Devereaux." He looked at the restaurant footage. "Hey, that is Wil Wheaton!" Chaos smiled a big smile and jumped out of his seat, "I gotta get his autograph."

…

"Play dead," Eliot held up a treat for Sam. Sam rolled over and sat back up. "No, play dead." Sam shook. "Stupid dog." Sam played dead. Eliot shrugged and threw Sam the treat.

"Hey, I got an e-mail alert!" Hardison called for the team's attention. "Turns out that thief Apollo Robbins was trying to jack that Van Gough painting on display and he got busted from an 'anonymous' tipster who knew Apollo was going to steal it."

"Do you think Chaos is responsible for that?" Parker asked.

"Could be. Apollo and Chaos are on Starke's crew."

"Unless Chaos has gone solo," Sophie handed Hardison a newspaper.

Hardison read the headline out loud. "Mikel Dayan arrested for the murder of Marcus Starke." Hardison whistled. "Oh yeah, Chaos may have gone solo."

"Wasn't Mikel Dayan on Starke's crew?" Eliot inquired.

"Yeah, she was the female you."

"Chaos must know you're alive," Parker said to Sophie.

"How?" Sophie had panic in her tone.

"Sophie," Eliot took a seat beside her, "did you interact with anybody today?"

"Well…someone who knew who I was, and who Chaos was. From what he told me, Chaos is trying to kill him too. He told me his name was Dean Rogers. He seemed to know who Parker was because he pointed her out before he disappeared."

Parker let out a long gasp as if she figured something out. "Maybe it was the mysterious mastermind who used to lead Starke's crew!"

"Chaos must've planted a tracker on him," Hardison suggested.

"So you're saying I was interacting with a criminal mastermind?" Sophie asked for clarification.

"Wasn't the mysterious mastermind the guy who saved our butts yesterday?" Parker remembered. As if it was a horror movie, Parker's phone rang. She began breathing heavy in fear. "No information."

"Answer it," Eliot gruffly commanded.

"No!" Parker shoved the phone at Eliot. "This is really freaking me out."

Eliot answered the phone. "Who is this?"

"Bad time to call?" The voice on the other end asked.

"Who the hell are you?"

"I'm not Chaos, I assure you. I called Parker's phone. Listen, a couple of clients are going to ask you to steal back their father's painting from a greedy art dealer who lives in a penthouse in uptown Boston. You believe their story, but when you try to steal it, you're busted, and Chaos is waiting there to take the painting and sell it on the black market."

"Where are you getting this information pal?"

"If you're going to steal the painting, I suggest you do not take Sophie with you, Chaos will be expecting that. Last I checked he doesn't know where Sophie lives unless he followed you, using me as bait when I interacted with her. I apologize. I was not aware he had a tracker on me, until I washed my jacket. Just remember, I'm on your side." Instead of hanging up, Nathan Ford threw his phone into a river and drove off in his car.

Eliot hung up Parker's phone. "He must've got his phone wet, nothin' but static."

"Was it Chaos?" Parker inquired.

"I think it was our mysterious mastermind. Listen, we're gonna have a retrieval job tomorrow Chaos must've set up. We gotta ante up the security here. Sophie cannot leave this place. Hardison set up the best security system known to man that only we can crack. Make sure Sophie can't get in or out."

"You got it," Hardison saluted.

"Aww, you guys care about me?" Sophie smiled at her new family.

"Hey, we should also build a doggy door for Sam in case something happens," Parker suggested. "We care about him too."

"Even if he is a stupid dog," Hardison grinned.

As if on cue, Sam played dead.

…

The Mysterious Mastermind was right about everything. An elderly couple found out about the team and asked for their assistance in restoring a painting to its rightful owners. For some reason, the team just couldn't say no. As Eliot wanted, Sophie stayed behind at their headquarters with a comm in her ear to communicate with them.

"You okay, Sophie?" Parker asked this question every five minutes.

"I'm fine, Parker," Sophie answered as she scooped herself some ice cream.

"There's no sign of Chaos anywhere," Eliot observed.

"I almost got the painting," Parker noted. "I should be done in less than a minute."

"Good, I made you guys some pie when you come home," Sophie at her ice cream. She heard a whining sound coming from the door. Sam was standing there wanting to go outside. "Oh, sorry Sammy, not until the others get back." The dog only whined louder. "Guys, I'm going to take Sam outside."

"I don't think that's a good idea," Hardison reprimanded.

"He's giving me the look. Oh please, I'll be careful. Chaos doesn't know we live here."

"Make it quick," Hardison typed on his laptop while waiting in the van. "Go ahead and get him to do his thing."

"You forget, he's not quite ready to go out on his own. We've gotta-" Sophie was ambushed as she stepped outside. Sam ferociously barked at the intruder attempting to strangle his mistress.

"Sophie? SOPHIE!"

"We gotta what?" Parker asked as she placed the painting inside Lucille 4.0 (Hardison's recently upgraded van). "Sophie?" Parker's face turned white. "Sophie's in trouble, I can hear some kind of fight, and Sam won't stop barking."

"Parker's driving," Eliot got in the van.

"What?" Hardison questioned him.

"Look, she may be the most reckless, unsafe driver, but she's the fastest."

"Buckle up, back there," Parker instructed.

"There are no seat belts back here."

"Then hold on to something."

As the gang hurried back to Sophie, Sophie was fighting off some guy attempting to strangler. She did know some fighting skills, and she used them against him. But the guy was just too strong.

When she thought she was a goner, she felt his grip loosen. She broke free and watched as he fell to the floor. Standing behind him with a knight stick was the man she met with the dark sunglasses.

"WHO ARE YOU?" Sophie screamed.

"Come with me," Nate grabbed her hand and dragged her out, Sam protectively following them.

"What is going on?"

"He hired someone to kill you."

"Chaos?"

"No, the president of the United States! Yes, Chaos!"

"What are you doing here?"

"I knew I didn't trust him, I had to keep you safe."

"Do you have this desire to protect me or something?"

"Yes, I do."

"I don't even know who you are!"

"Yes, you do."

"What?"

Nate noticed the speeding van. "There's a bomb in your place set to go off in a minute and thirty seconds. Get Hardison and Eliot to diffuse it." Nate ran off.

The three of them jumped out of the van once it came to a sudden stop. "We heard it on the comm," Hardison quickly informed as he and Eliot ran back to the apartment.

"Sophie," Parker examined her friend, "you're alive!" She hugged her tightly.

"Yes Parker, I'm alive."

"Chaos wasn't there. He hired the assassin and he planted a bomb. He knows where you are."

"What about those security cameras Hardison had installed in the hall? Can they make out the guy who attacked me?"

"I'm sure with his facial recognition database it'll be possible. I'm sure Chaos didn't count on that."

In another part of Boston, Chaos snickered as he watched security footage inside, and outside of the building. "Wrong again." He spun around in his chair and moved some papers around. "So Nate Ford has to go and play hero, and ruin my perfect murder attempts!" He opened drawers on his desk. "There has got to be something I can use to kill Sophie Devereaux." He went through all of his files. "This isn't mine. What the heck is this?" He looked at a box of medication. This one had an unfamiliar name, so he Googled it. "If ingested in food," Chaos read, "can result in coma or death." He held the bottle in his hands and snickered.

…

"What should we have for dinner?" Sophie asked the following afternoon.

"I don't really think we should be cooking," Eliot told her, "who's to say Chaos didn't mess with the gas on the stove or somethin'?"

"So do you guys want a pizza or something?" Hardison asked.

"Look for some coupons," Sophie suggested.

The other three began doing that. "No pizza coupons," Parker noted. "There are coupons for Burger King."

"Do they have one for apple fries?"

"Yeah," Hardison looked, "and a few Whopper Jrs, some fries, and something called chicken fries. It's been a while since I had Burger King."

"Hardison and I will get dinner," Eliot grabbed the keys to Lucille 4.0. "Parker, stay here with Sophie."

"Duh!" Parker duhed.

"We'll be back in ten minutes."

Hardison and Eliot drove up to the nearest Burger King and placed their order.

The employee at the second window handed them a bag. Hardison checked the bag for everything. "Your Whoppers will be ready in another minute," she informed. "If you could just pull over there we'll send someone out in a minute with the rest of your order."

"Hey," Hardison looked at the girl, "we're missin' our apple fries."

"Sorry sir. We'll bring those out too."

"Thanks," Eliot looked at her nametag, "Jenna," he gave her a flirty smile and drove off. "Not a bad lookin' girl."

"She looks like she's in high school, dude," Hardison sounded a bit disgusted.

"Might ask her for her number when she comes back."

"Really? Seriously?"

"Here's your order sirs," this was a male voice.

"Damn," Eliot muttered under his breath as Hardison snickered. Eliot took the bag. "Thanks." He drove off.

Had the two of them got a good listen to the male voice, or a look at the employee, they would've realized it was Chaos.

...

Eliot and Hardison were back less than five minutes later. "Food!"

Parker and Sophie ran to the table. "Did you get my fries?" Sophie remembered.

"Almost forgot 'em, but we got 'em," Hardison handed Sophie her apple fries.

"Yum!" Sophie bit into one. "These are sooooo delicious." Sam started begging at her feet. "You want one?" Sophie fed Sam a fry, and he ate it up in one bite. "You guys want one?"

"No thanks."

"Pass," Eliot bit into his Whopper.

"I'll try one," Parker bit into one, but quickly spat it out. "Ew!"

Sophie shrugged. "More for me."

"Is fast food bad for a dog?"

"It depends on the food. Like if it's one fry, not so much. If it's a whole bag of fries, your dog's gonna have a stomachache," Eliot explained. The three of them gave him a look. "What? I know about dogs."

"You seem to know about a lot of things," Sophie smiled.

"I take pride in my knowledge and skills."

This made the team laugh. Sophie suddenly stopped laughing. She put down her apple fries. "You okay Sophie?" Hardison noticed this.

"Hm?" She looked at him. "I guess I'm just a little dizzy."

"You didn't get into anything suspicious did you?" Eliot questioned.

"She's been with me all day," Parker reminded. "Maybe she's coming down with something."

"Excuse me," Sophie stood up.

"Where are you going?"

"I'm just going to the bathroom. The food doesn't seem to agree with me tonight." Sophie went into the bathroom and closed the door.

"Do you think someone tampered with the fries?" Hardison examined a fry, and then handed it to Eliot.

Eliot sniffed the fry, and tasted it before spitting it out. "I've smelt this before." He repeated his actions. "If memory serves, this is called _M__ortem __D__ormire_."

"What's that mean?" Parker asked.

"It sounds so familiar, like Latin. I don't remember Latin though."

"I'll translate it," Hardison took out his phone.

A sudden thud caused the gang to stop what they were doing. They ran to the bathroom and found Sophie lying on the floor. Parker immediately ran to her body. "Sophie!" She shook her. "Soph?"

Eliot felt her for a pulse. "No pulse."

"We gotta get her to a hospital!" Parker cried.

"We can't do that. She's got like fifty aliases; some of them may be wanted. If they save her, they'll arrest her."

Parker was crying at this point. "Then what do we do?"

"There's nothing we can do."

"We have to do something!"

"Guys," Hardison looked at his phone. "I got a result. It didn't make sense when I translated it from Latin to English, but I got a perfect translation English to Latin."

"What?"

"Sleeping death."

…

Chaos cheered as he watched the footage. "I WIN!' He fist pounded the air. "Good feeling!" He drank his cherry soda, but nearly choked on it. "There may be a cure or something," He typed in the actual scientific name of the poison. "Damn!" He typed in a few things, moved his cursor around, and the pages with cures and antidotes disappeared from the internet. "Gotta move these someplace safe," Chaos moved the pages to a file on his computer labeled 'dragon'. He quickly checked other files. "Good, nothing's gone." He sighed. "I would be sooooo screwed if anything from this file went missing, or got to the cops." He looked around his area. "I should stop thinking out loud." He went back to doing something on his computer.

…

Eliot closed the door to the room upstairs. The group decided to leave Sophie in that room while they searched for a cure.

"You sure that's the name of the poison?" Hardison inquired.

"Not the real name," Eliot grabbed a medical book. "It's only known as _Mortem Dormire_."

"Where did you use this?"

"It's used on enemies. I don't know where it got its start, but we have to find it's actual…sciency name."

"Maybe the mysterious mastermind can help," Parker suggested.

"Hell no! Since he showed up, it's been nothing but trouble."

"I agree with Eliot," Hardison agreed.

"I'm going to look for him," Parker grabbed a jacket.

"Are you insane?" Eliot tried to stop her.

"No! He's on our side, Eliot! He saved us, he cares about Sophie, and Chaos wants him dead too. I'm afraid he's going to be in a lot of trouble if we don't find him before cops do."

Parker opened the door to find two FBI officers with Nathan Ford handcuffed between the two of them. This time, he didn't have sunglasses. "Are you familiar with this man?" Agent Taggert asked.

"Yes sir," Parker answered.

"What about Annie Kroy?" Agent McSweeten inquired.

"Annie Kroy?"

Eliot picked up an instant alias of Sophie's. "Yeah, she's our roommate. We can't find her anywhere."

"We have reason to suspect that two nights ago; this man strangled her outside of this apartment," Taggert explained

"And what proof do you have?"

"This security footage was delivered to our precint this morning. It showed this man strangling Ms. Kroy and dragging away her body."

"Mind if I take a look," Hardison took the footage. "This footage may be fake."

"How?"

"Well, let me look and I'll show you," Hardison went to his computer

"Riddle me this, officer," Eliot stepped closer to McSweeten, "why would this man kill his girlfriend?"

"What?" McSweeten asked. Nate's confused look said the same thing.

"You wouldn't kill your girlfriend, would you Nate?" Parker raised an eyebrow in understanding. They had figured out the mysterious mastermind's true identity.

"You didn't tell us that woman was your girlfriend," McSweeten looked at Nate.

"They've been trying to keep it a secret," Eliot held up a fake FBI badge. "I'm Agent Ted Crichton. We live her with Ms. Kroy. We were suspicious of this guy being around her, and we had him followed. He and Annie have been seeing each other for a little more than six months trying to keep it private."

"If y'all come over here, I'll show you how this video is a fake," Hardison gestured for McSweeten to join him at his laptop.

Parker and Eliot went to Nate as Hardison distracted the cops. "What is going on?" Nate looked at the two of them.

"Sophie's in a 'sleeping death'," Parker informed.

"_Mortem Dormire_?"

"How do you know?"

"Starke kept it at his office; it makes a good electronic cleaner, but can be seriously deadly if ingested in food."

"We think Chaos put it in her apple fries."

"Son of a bitch!"

"Wait, she gave a fry to Sam," Parker reminded.

"It must not be toxic to dogs."

"Well, what do you know?" McSweeten looked at the real security footage. "Who is that guy?"

"Agent Crichton brought him into custody while unconscious," Hardison answered. "We don't know who he is. But we've got a pretty good idea who he's working for."

…

Chaos watched from his area, which was formerly Starke's office. "DAMMIT HARDISON!" Chaos, in a fit of rage, broke up a locked box of Starke's. "Time to take care of them once and for all…myself." He put a gun in his pocket, and headed off to the apartment.

…

Hardison rode with McSweeten to Starke's offices, directions provided via ear bud comm through Nate.

Sure enough, the place was empty. Hardison made his way to Chaos' computer. "I'm at his computer."

"Good," Nate turned to Taggert. "Officer Taggert, while we wait for our smoking gun, would you mind picking up some doughnuts?"

"Um…sure." Taggert left.

"Nate, why did you-"

"When Chaos sees Taggert leave, he's gonna barge in ready to kill. That will be the only way to catch him. And you can inform McSweeten over there, who in turn will inform Taggert."

"What if he kills you guys first?"

"Yeah, what if he kills us first?" Parker asked.

"That's why we have Agent Crichton," Nate smirked. "If I know Chaos' computer, he'll have a file not under his documents, but under his music. Maybe he moved it to pictures, but it will never be in video or documents. That file should be called 'dragon'."

"Dragon, got it," Hardison clicked on Chaos' name. "What's his password?"

"Yee-ah…he changes it every week."

"Excuse you?"

"Good luck breaking Chaos' password." Nate stood in the center of the apartment as he heard angry stomping coming up to the apartment. "Speak of the devil, and the devil will come."

Chaos burst through the door and pointed the gun at Nate's temple. "Say goodbye Nate Ford."

"Goodnight Chaos."

Chaos gave Nate a confused look as Eliot tackled him to the ground. Eliot pulled him up by his shirt collar. "Give us your password Chaos!"

"And why would I do that? So you can hack into my files and turn me into the cops? Forget it!"

"Then tell us how to revive Sophie," Nate ordered.

"No!"

"What do you have against her anyway?" Parker stood beside Chaos.

"Nobody can out-con Sophie Devereaux, she is the biggest threat to me and I had to get rid of her by any means necessary."

"Give us the antidote and we'll make sure you guys never cross paths again."

"I'm not falling for that."

"No need," Nate stepped closer to Chaos. "We have your password."

"No you don't!"

"Oh, I think we do. Parker," Nate snapped his fingers and Parker handed Nate Chaos' phone.

Chaos cackled. "You're not going to find my password on there!"

Nate pulled out his phone and called Chaos' number.

Chaos' ringtone was the voice of Stewie Griffin from _Family Guy _humorously pronouncing 'cool whip'. "Don't you just love _Family Guy_?" Nate smiled. "Stewie's one of my favorite characters. I can't help but laugh when he says 'cool whip', or 'ruined'," Nate pronounced it the way Stewie would have on _Family Guy_, "or even, 'Wil Wheaton'." Chaos' eyes widened in a state of fear and anger.

"Not it!" Hardison lamented.

"One 'L' Hardison," Nate corrected.

Hardison snickered. "Got it!" At Starke's headquarters, he put in a flashdrive. "Get ready y'all, I'm about to slay the dragon."

Chaos growled as he tried to break free from Eliot's grasp. "NO!"

Taggert entered with the doughnuts. "What's going on?"

"As promised, the man behind Annie Kroy's death," Nate responded.

Eliot shoved Chaos into Taggert's grasp. "Be careful with this one, he's more dangerous than you think."

"Much smarter too," Parker told Taggert.

"How else would he have been able to inform you guys on all those robberies, incidents, or tell you who murdered Marcus Starke?" Nate added.

"You're looking at a long time behind bars," Taggert handcuffed Chaos and took him away.

"Your other guy will have all the files you need as evidence, and security footage from his apartment where he confesses his plans out loud."

"Thanks again, Mr. Ford. Sorry about everything's that happened."

"We'll manage." Parker and Eliot stood beside Nate as Taggert dragged Chaos away.

"THIS ISN'T OVER!" Chaos screamed at them. "I'LL GET YOU NATHAN FORD!"

"I'd like to see you try."

"Hey Nate," Hardison interrupted the moment, "I think I got the cure to revive Sophie."

"What is it Hardison?"

"Something you can't find here in the states, I can't even pronounce it."

"So we can't cure her?" Parker asked.

"Maybe, there's a chance you could make it yourself at home." Hardison searched the files. "I'm not finding anything." He sighed. "Sorry guys, looks like there's nothing we can do."

The men stood there in silence as Parker began to cry. "It's not fair!"

Nate took a deep breath. "Can I see the body?"

"It's upstairs," Eliot quietly replied.

Nate made his way upstairs. Sophie was lying peacefully on the bed. He sat beside her and rubbed her cold hand. "I'm sorry, Sophie," he began to cry. "I'm so sorry." He kissed her lips for a final time and cried over her body.

Sam came running in wagging his tail. When he saw his mistress sleeping, he began licking her to wake her up. Sam licked her hand, her ear, her cheeks, and even inside her mouth.

"Get out of here, mutt!" Nate picked Sam up and put him outside, but the dog kept coming back in and going back to his mistress, licking her all over trying to get her awake. "Sorry, pup. If she's not gonna wake up for me, I doubt she'll wake up for you.

Sophie made some muffled noises as she sat up and stretched. She felt the side of her face. "Why is my face wet?"

Nate turned to her. "Soph?"

Sophie looked into his eyes. "Oh my God. Nate? Nathan Ford?"

"Took you long enough to figure out."

"I can't believe I didn't realize it was you!"

He kissed her forehead, one place Sam didn't lick. "You gave us quite a scare there."

"What happened?"

"You ate a poisoned apple fry."

"And a kiss from my prince woke me up?"

"Uh...more or less."

"SOPHIE!" Parker ran to her side and hugged her tightly. "SHE'S ALIVE!"

Eliot blocked his ears and took out his comm. "I heard you the first yell, Parker."

"WOO! Whoa baby! Hallelujah!" Hardison celebrated driving back to the apartment.

"How did you wake her up?" Parker curiously questioned Nate.

"A kiss," he casually answered.

"No, really?"

"Really."

"Seriously," Sophie agreed with Nate.

"Well, not from me." Nate petted the dog. "A dog's mouth is cleaner than a human's mouth. Different bacteria too. Though I'd like to think me kissing you first helped break down a barrier or something for his kiss to work."

"Aw Sam," Sophie set the dog on her lap. "You stupid little dog." As if on cue, Sam played dead. The team laughed at their mascot. "Come here," Sophie brought him closer to her face where Sam continuously licked his mistress.

**...**

_Sophie woke up to Sam licking her face. She moaned._

"_Sam!" She heard Nate enter the room. "No!" He picked up the dog and set him on the floor._

_Sophie sat up and stretched. "How long was I asleep?"_

"_A hundred minutes."_

"_Alright, I guess I'll just go to bed early tonight."_

"_Our costumes our here," Nate handed her a big brown box. "I don't know if you want to start preparing early, or what, but…"_

"_When is everyone coming over?"_

"_Not for a while. They have to get snacks, and get their costumes ready, and Parker's helping Tara pick out a costume."_

"_Do you think the team will understand what we're supposed to be?"_

"_They'll figure it out…so long as I…so long as I play the song."_

"_You'll do it for me!"_

"_For you!"_

"_Oh, Nate!" She embraced her man and planted a kiss on him._

_As if it was clockwork, the party arrived at the same time. _

_Tara was dressed as a cowgirl. "Hello?"_

_Parker looked in every way like Tinkerbell, down to the last detail. "Nate! Sophie!"_

_Hardison was dressed as a random pirate. "I don't think they're here."_

_Eliot the ninja eyed Hardison's costume. "Who the hell you s'posed to be?"_

"_A random pirate. Yarrrrrgh,"_

"_Yeah, well ninja kicks pirate's ass any day."_

"_Not this debate again!"_

"_Nate! Sophie!" Parker continued calling out. "Sam!"_

_They were then greeted by a doggy in a devil suit. Attached to the suit was a note with Nate's scribble._

_The cowgirl took the note. "In the radio there's a CD already set to the song, press play for a Halloween surprise. Make yourselves comfortable, film this and die. If you want to see it, turn the living room furniture around first." Tara shrugged and the rest did as they were instructed. "You guys ready?" They gave an ok to Tara. "Let's see what the hell they're doing" Tara pushed play on the radio._

'Now I've…'

"_Oh boy," Tara began laughing_

'…had the time of my life…'

_Parker's eyebrow knitted. "Is this _Dirty Dancing_?"_

'…no I've never felt like this before…

"_You better believe it, baby," Hardison replied._

'…yes I swear, it's the truth

And I owe it all to you.

'Cause I've had the time of my life

And I owe it all to you'

"_Oh, Hell no," Eliot shook his head._

_Nate made his way downstairs dressed like Patrick Swayze from _Dirty Dancing_. He began doing some solo dancing, incorporating some bad Michael Jackson moves along the way, and lip synched to Bill Medley's part. When it got to _'just remember'_, Nate pointed to the stairs. Sophie was standing there, the spitting image of Jennifer Grey, if Jennifer herself had dark brown hair. She also began lip synching as she rhythmically made her way down the stairs. When it got to the chorus, Nate and Sophie began dancing together doing their best to copy down the moves from the 1987 classic. This version was clearly altered, because the second verse was taken out and it went directly to the instrumental part where Sophie broke off and did her solo dancing before rejoining Nate. They broke off again near the end where the two prepared for the most iconic moment from the dance scene._

_At the end, with Nate still holding in his arms, Sophie gave him an eskimo kiss (where they each showed affection by rubbing their noses together). While the team applauded, Nate gently set Sophie down and kneeled down to catch his breath._

"_You okay?" Sophie laughed._

"_Give…" Nate was breathing heavy and bending over, "…gimme…a minute."_

"_That was awesome," Tara laughed. "How long did that take to prepare."_

"_Nate surprisingly knew the dance. He taught me the moves at our date," Sophie smiled. _

"_That was awesome!" Parker jumped up and down._

"_I ain't never gonna be able to look at the movie the same way again," Eliot shuddered. "You ruined it for me."_

"_Aw come on Eliot, that was pretty awesome," Hardison defended._

"_It's a __cheap knockoff, the original's better. I'm-a get me some beer," Eliot went into the kitchen."_

"_I brought some candy," Tara put her candy in the kitchen._

"_I want _Snickers_!" Parker ran into the kitchen._

"_Save me a _Snickers!" _Hardison followed Parker to the candy bowl._

_Sophie went over to Nate. "You sure you're alright?"_

_Nate pointed behind Sophie. "…dog," he managed to breathe out._

"_What?" Sophie looked behind her. Nate used this time to his advantage and pulled something out of his pocket. "Seriously Nate…" Sophie gasped._

_Nate was holding a diamond ring in his hand. "Will you be the Baby to my Johnny for the rest of our lives?"_

"_Oh, Nate!" She breathed._

"_Marry me Sophie."_

_Sophie began to cry. "Yes!" Nate had the biggest grin on his face as he slid the ring on her left hand. "Yes!" Nate took her in his arms and kissed her. _

_This earned celebratory applause, and an "AW YEAH!" from a very happy team._

* * *

**Okay, you gotta admit you like the ending more. This is definitely my favorite by far; but we are SO not over. Wouldn't you love to see something like this on Leverage, I mean it's never gonna happen, but still that would be awesome to see. Here's the list between the Sleeping Beauty/Snow White combos:**

**Nate: Prince Phillip/Charming**

**Sophie: Sleeping Beauty/Snow White**

**Eliot: kind of a cross between Merryweather and Grumpy**

**Parker: kind of a cross between Fauna and….maybe Dopey, I'm not sure which dwarf**

**Hardison: kind of a cross between Flora and… I guess Doc; I'm not sure about him**

**Chaos: Maleficent/Evil Queen**

**Chaos' computer: magic mirror**

**Dragon file: the dragon**

**Apple fries: poison apple**

**Marcus Starke; the huntsman (he warned Sophie, didn't he?)**

**The first two assassination attempts is a subtle Snow White; in other versions, the queen tried 3 times to kill Snow White, and got lucky with the apple**

**I think maybe, I referenced _Happily Ever After_, the 1993 cartoon with Irene Cara; the shadow character helping Snow White was really the prince, that's kinda like Nate as the mysterious mastermind in sunglasses, right?**

**Plus I had other references to Leverage, Family Guy, and other stuff I might have forgotten. Hell, I even referenced myself; do you know how and where?**

**Be honest; wasn't the Wil Wheaton thing awesome? I came up with that last minute, and it's one of my favorite parts in the fantasy. I do shamelessly plug **_**Stand By Me**_**, but he looked sooooo different in that 1986 movie.**


	6. Tara's Fantasy

**Traditions are a good thing; at least once a month, I make it a tradition to watch this next fairy tale. I don't know how it happened, or why it was this particular one, but it's a tradition. I like this fairy tale too, but it's not my favorite (it's in the top ten though). Still, I knew I had to use it.**

**Here's Tara's fantasy.**

* * *

"_What do you think?" Tara was modeling clothes to Sophie as she prepared for a date._

"_I think that's mine," Sophie eyed the outfit._

"_Well, yeah, but all my clothes were destroyed when that Moreau bastard burned my house down."_

"_How did you get tangled with Damien Moreau?"_

"_Sophie, its Damien Moreau," Tara chuckled, "who hasn't got caught in his crossfire?"_

_Sophie nodded in agreement. "Can I ask you something?"_

"_Sure."_

"_I want to have a nice wedding on a beach at Christmastime somewhere in the tropics, but Nate thinks that we should just get married at City Hall. What do you think we should do?"_

"_Elope."_

"_But I want you guys to be there."_

"_Eloping is more romantic. Remember when I eloped with Diego?"_

"_Remember how he tried to kill you on your wedding night?"_

"_Okay, so the marriage didn't last that long. But eloping was still nice. Look, you and Nate are different, you have different tastes, why can't you find something you agree on and work it out from there?"_

"_Because I want a beach wedding at sunset on Christmas and he wants to get married in a government building."_

"_Yours would be romantic. But Soph, you know Nate isn't really a romantic kind of guy."_

"_That's the thing, he really is. He just has his own…Nate way of showing it. Like Eliot, somewhere deep, deep…way deep down Eliot is a romantic."_

"_Which explains the various women he's slept with."_

"_They're guys; they're not going to directly admit they have a romantic side to them."_

"_Unless Eliot's trying to score." Tara modeled another one of Sophie's outfits. "What does the team think you guys should do?"_

"_They don't care as long as they're there. Though Parker wants us to get married at DisneyWorld dressed like Cinderella and Prince Charming when they got married."_

"_She's very imaginative. Which is good; imagination slowly dies as we get older."_

"_Tell me about it."_

_Downstairs in the apartment, the boys were watching sports while Parker played in the back with Sam. "Put any money down?" Eliot asked the guys._

"_Twenty on the Pats," Nate drank a can of beer. "Hardison?"_

"_I spread it around on a bunch of different teams, played middleman," Hardison kept his glued to the TV._

"_Cheater," Eliot mumbled._

"_Hey Nate," Parker was standing behind Nate, "did you think about my offer?"_

_Nate groaned. "We're not getting married at DisneyLand."_

"_DisneyWorld! WORLD!"_

"_It matters!" Eliot growled. "Go away, Parker."_

_Parker stuck her tongue out at him. "Okay, maybe you don't have to get married there, but maybe a nice honeymoon there-"_

"_Parker," Nate turned to face her, "why don't you go upstairs with Sophie and Tara?"_

"_But they talk about girl stuff!"_

"_You're a girl!" Eliot reminded. "Go on and get!"_

_Parker stuck her tongue out at him again, sighed, and headed upstairs where Tara was trying on Sophie's clothes. "Hi," she fell onto the bed in a huff._

"_Hello Parker," Sophie greeted. "Something wrong?"_

"_Boys are mean."_

"_It's football season," Tara reminded. "What do you expect?"_

"_I just wanted to talk about the wedding."_

"_Well, we'll talk about it with you," Sophie assured._

"_Now I don't feel like it, they sucked the fun out of it." Parker looked at Tara. "Isn't that Sophie's?"_

"_I have generously offered my wardrobe to help Tara select a dress to wear on her date."_

"_I like that one."_

"_It does suit you. Now you just need to get your hair just right."_

"_But I don't think this is the right color," Tara objected as she threw the dress to the side._

"_It's up here!" The girls could hear Nate's voice as he made his way upstairs. His eyes got wide as he entered. "What the hell happened to my room?"_

"_Our room," Sophie corrected. She handed him his wallet. "Thought you'd need this."_

"_Did a tornado blow through our closet, or what?"_

"_Tara has a date."_

_Tara modeled another dress. "You like this one?"_

"_That one is nice."_

"_Eh, no way," Parker disagreed._

"_Nate?" Tara modeled for Nate._

"_It's fine," Nate didn't even take a good look._

"_Fine?" The ladies asked in unison._

"_Just pick something and clean up this mess. We'll have pizza here in about a half-hour," he kissed Sophie's forehead. "Seriously, pick something and clean the room."_

"_Yes Your Majesty," Sophie rolled her eyes as Nate left._

"_You guys are so different," Parker commented._

"_Is that a bad thing?"_

_Parker shrugged. "Opposites attract, and you guys are opposites. Together you make the perfect couple. Like Sam and Freddie on _iCarly_."_

"_Isn't that a children's show?"_

"_It's for tweens and young adults. Maybe that wasn't a good comparison. You and Nate are like Beauty and the Beast."_

"_How?"_

"_Belle's nice and smart and everyone likes her. The beast is bossy and mean. They fall in love in the end, and Belle changed him for the better."_

"_I don't think I've changed Nate, Parker."_

"_Something seems different about him. Maybe you have changed him."_

_While modeling another outfit in the mirror, Tara thought about what Parker said._

**…**

Tara and Sophie settled into their pied-à-terre after a long day on the job. "I don't know about you," Tara took off her shoes, "but I could use a nap."

Sophie nodded in agreement. "But first, you've gotta eat."

"Ugh! I don't feel like doing anything but sleeping."

"Ah-ah-ah, you need to at least take your vitamins."

"No," Tara whined.

"Remember the last time you didn't take them," Sophie went into their kitchen and took out a bottle. "You said 'I'm fine for tonight, I don't need them', and the next thing we know you're in the hospital with heart problems. Anemia won't go away, you know."

"Yeah, I know. I tell ya, if I wasn't living with you I probably would be putting off taking all the vitamin crap and end back up in a hospital with bigger heart problems."

"I worry about you. You're my only friend, you know."

"What about that guy from the job who likes you? That…that Italian guy who keeps stalking you."

"Damien Moreau? He's a sexist prick."

"That's one appropriate way to describe a guy you never met."

"Have you never heard of Damien Moreau? He's sexist, he's violent, he's evil, and yet women flock to him like cattle."

"Okay, maybe he's not the most honest guy there is, but he'd definitely treat you like a queen."

"More like an object. He can have his pick of any of those young bimbos because I don't want to have anything to do with him."

"But he's a good-looking rich guy."

"Money and looks aren't everything." Sophie sat beside Tara and handed her a vitamin. "Have you notice how I always fall for the bad guy?" Tara nodded. "For once, I'd like to fall for the good guy, the honest man."

"There's no such thing as an honest man."

…

"You honestly think this is going to work?" Eliot looked over Nate's plan.

"It's the best I can come up with on short notice."

"This is so not going to stop Moreau," Parker inspected his plan. "Do you even have an exit strategy?"

"I'm kinda winging it."

"You have to have things like that plan in advanced."

"We ain't gonna get lucky on every job," Hardison told him.

"We'll see," Nate got up to pour himself some coffee.

"What we need is a grifter," Eliot suggested.

"We're not adding anyone else to the team. Besides, we all make good grifters."

"Not all of us," Eliot and Parker turned to Hardison.

"Seriously, y'all ain't gonna let that one go?" Hardison threw his hands up in the air in annoyance. "That was one time!"

"One time too many."

"Ease off, he's not the only one to screw up a con," Nate reminded.

"Thank you, Nate," Hardison thanked.

"Your screw up was the worst though. You are never grifting again."

Eliot laughed as Hardison's face fell at Nate's comment. "Truth hurts, don't it?"

"Jerks," Hardison muttered.

"But if we're seriously going to go with this plan," Parker brought the focus back, "who's going to go after Moreau?"

"You are," Nate causally replied.

"What?"

"He knows Eliot, Hardison's never going to grift again, and I'm not Moreau's type."

"What's his type?"

"Female."

…

Sophie came out of her room the following evening dressed for a hot date. "Well?"

Tara eyed her roommate. "Oh yeah, I'd totally go you for if I was a guy."

"Why do I have to be the one to do this? I'm the better thief!"

"You're also the better grifter. Moreau is also attracted to you. If you can keep him distracted I can sneak into his place and steal his files. You forget, I have slightly more experience than you when it comes to hacking, and you're a pickpocketing theif. I do the safe cracking." Tara tossed Sophie an ear bud comm. "Do not lose this one."

"I still wish you could do this," Sophie put the comm in her ear. "I'm not his type."

"You're a woman aren't you? And if I know guys like that, they want what they can't have. Once they have it, it's like 'now what?'. Well it is in most cases anyway."

"Alright, I'll meet you back here by ten."

"Got it." Tara grabbed her purse and headed for the door.

"Oh no you don't," Sophie stopped her. "You're not leaving until you I see you put your iron supplements in that purse."

"Soph!"

"I ask you to do this in case I can't get to you. I worry about you, you know."

"I know, I know."

…

Nate sat with Hardison in Hardison's van. "Eliot, how close are you to getting into Moreau's penthouse?"

Eliot was stuck in traffic. He honked his horn in anger. "Does that answer your question?" He stuck his head out the window. "MOVE IT YOU STUPID MOTHER-"

"-we could do without the offensive language, Eliot. Parker, do you see Moreau there?"

Parker stood in the back of a huge reception area. "I see him."

"Make your move just like you've been practicing."

Parker seductively made her way to Damien Moreau's table. "This seat taken?"

Moreau looked up at her. He gestured for her to sit. "I don't believe we've met."

"Isabella Romano"

"Italian?" He kissed her hand. "Funny, you don't strike me as Italian."

"I get that a lot. I've heard about you."

"Have you? All good I hope."

"You'd be surprised."

"Well…" Damien noticed someone else behind her. "…excuse me." He stood up to leave.

"That went well," Parker gave a sigh of annoyance. "Are you sure I have to distract him? I'm the thief!"

"Where's he off to?" Nate asked.

Parker turned around. "He's going after some other woman!"

"What is she doing?"

"She keeps resisting him, but he keeps following her."

"I should have planned for that." Nate sat back in his seat. "Alright Parker, try to stick around and pull the seduce and resist move. If that doesn't work…it all depends on Eliot."

"What?" Eliot growled.

…

Damien followed Sophie to her table. "I've seen you around before."

"I know."

"Can we at least exchange names?" Damien took her hand. "Damien Moreau."

Sophie pulled away. "I know."

"Could you tell me your name?"

"Elisabetta Sabatini."

"I could tell you were Italian when I first looked at you. Do you prefer to be called Lissy or Lissa? What about Beth?"

"Ugh!" Sophie stood up to leave. "Tara," she whispered. "Did the guards buy your story?"

Tara looked around his penthouse. "They bought it, I'm in."

"I'm out."

"No! You have to keep him distracted until I get those files. Chances are his guards could call him to check my story. Stay with him; make sure he doesn't answer his phone or anything. Steal it for all I care."

"Got it." Sophie turned around to see Parker flirting with Moreau. "Problem."

"What?"

"Some bloody little slut is moving on him."

"Then pull that move you created. What is it…the…the seduce and resist."

"I think-"

"-and then she brings it to us," this was an unfamiliar voice.

"Tara?"

"I think someone's hacking our signal," Tara suggested. "I'm almost done, get out of there now!"

…

"Guys," Hardison looked at his computer, "I'm getting another signal from inside the building. "I can make out a woman's voice."

Parker looked around. "Can you make out her location?"

"Not yet."

Damien turned his head to the side to notice Sophie leave. "Excuse me."

"Get his phone!" Nate commanded.

Parker tried, but Damien got away. "Err! He's following that woman again!"

"What woman?"

"The woman who was resisting him."

…

Damien followed Sophie out of the building. "Where are you going?"

Sophie turned around. "I have a previous engagement. I lost all track of time and…well, you know how these things are."

Damien moved closer to her. "Would you like me to escort you there?"

"No thank you," Sophie used one hand to pat his shoulder, and the other to steal his phone. "I'm sure I'll be seeing you around, Signor Moreau." Sophie headed in another direction. "Got everything?"

Tara smiled. "You betcha." She turned to leave, but was stopped by an unfamiliar man.

"Who are you?" he growled.

"Tara?" Sophie called for her friend. "Tara, are you alright?"

"I said who are you?"

Tara feigned a chuckle. "Nobody. I was just leaving." The stranger grabbed Tara. "Let go you brute!"

"Tara?" Sophie was panicking. "Tara, are you alright?"

The stranger managed to knock her out during the scuffle and he carried her off, unaware that a bottle of vitamins had fallen out of Tara's purse.

…

Eliot carried Tara into the headquarters. By this point she was conscious, and pounding her fists on Eliot's back. He dropped her in their chair. "I'm-a ask ya again, who are you?"

"Tara," Nate entered from behind her. "At least that's the name we made out on the other comms."

"Who are you people?" Tara looked around to see that Parker and Hardison were also behind her.

"We should be asking you the same thing," Parker smelled her.

"Hey! Hey! What are you doing?"

"You wear nice perfume."

"It's not mine, but thanks."

"What were you doing in Damien Moreau's penthouse?" Eliot questioned.

"What were _you_ doing at Moreau's penthouse?"

"I stole a key last time I visited, snuck in through the back. I had to retrieve something, I'm a retrieval specialist."

"I was one of his dates from last night," Tara lied. "I gave him the wrong number, I had to fix it, but I couldn't find it."

"Then why didn't you write a number on another sheet of paper?" Hardison raised an eyebrow to her.

"Uh…I…uh…"

"Busted."

Nate took a seat beside Tara. "It's obvious you're trying to bust this Moreau guy. Who are you working with?"

"I work independently."

"Then who was talking to you through you comm?"

"My roommate. She checks up on me every hour to make sure I'm getting my vitamins."

"Vitamins?"

"I'm anemic; she's only looking out for me, you know. She's like my sister." Tara looked around. "You don't have her here do you?"

"We don't even know who she is," Eliot softly, but gruffly, responded.

"Your roommate," Nate cleared his throat, "she wasn't the woman was resisting our mark?"

"The guy's attracted to her," Tara explained, "he's like stalking her. I told her to distract him while I stole his files."

"Was she able to get Moreau's phone?"

"I don't know."

"Eliot, you still have Moreau's number?"

"How does he know Moreau?"

"I used to work for the creep," Eliot dialed Moreau's number.

"Hello," this was a female voice.

"Who are you?"

"Who are you?"

Eliot pulled the phone away from his ears. "I think this is the other woman on the comm." He brought the phone up to his ear. "I asked you first?"

"You!" She recognized his voice. "I knew your voice was familiar. Where is my partner?"

"How can you be sure we have your partner?"

"Give me the phone," Nate instructed. Eliot obeyed and Nate put the phone to his ear. "We have your roommate."

"Who are you?"

"Let's make a trade. You give us Moreau's phone; we'll give you your friend."

"No deal. This phone is a gateway to a bunch of personal information."

"Personal information that needs passwords from Moreau's files?"

"You stole them from her? Give them back! We need those to bust Moreau."

"Moreau is our mark, and this is my turf. Back off!"

"Make me!"

"I do like a challenge. But tell me something, when did you go soft?"

Sophie's eyes widened. "You!"

"It's been a while since my last attempt to catch you Sophie. It is Sophie, right? Or is it Katherine? Maybe it's Jenny? Sarah? Jane?"

"If I turn myself in, you give the files back and Tara busts Moreau on her own."

"Sophie, no!" Tara objected via ear bud comm. "Let them bust Moreau. I'm not letting you go to prison again. They'll probably take me down with you."

"If we busted out once, we'll bust out again."

"I'm not gonna turn you into the cops, Sophie" Nate assured.

Everyone had a confused look on their face. "Then, what are you going to do?"

"Something I don't want to do…but I know I have to do. I'm going to recruit you as my team's grifter."

"What?"

"Moreau's not our only mark. We need a grifter. You grift for us, and we let Tara go with the files and the phone."

"Once she's free, she'll come back for me."

"If she does, we'll turn you in you both and you go to separate, maximum security prisons."

"Sophie, don't take the deal!" Tara dissuaded. "Busting Moreau's not worth it if we can't do it together!"

Sophie silently stood on the streets. She knew what she had to do, but she didn't want to do it. "Don't…" Sophie wiped away her tears, "…don't forget to take your vitamins."

Tara's face fell. "Soph…you…" she couldn't find the words to say. "I'll wait here so we can say goodbye."

…

Hardison picked up Sophie and brought her back to their headquarters. The first thing Sophie did was run into her best friend's arms and the two tightly hugged each other.

"Nate, does it really have to go like that?" Hardison quietly asked.

"You didn't have to be so cruel," Parker objected.

"You guys wanted a grifter didn't you?" Nate reminded as he handed Hardison Tara's ear bud comm.

"You didn't have to tear her apart from her best friend like that."

"We all have to do things in life we don't want to do, to do the things we have to do."

"Yeah, but you still didn't have to do that."

"It's for the best." The team watched as Sophie handed Tara something before Tara silently left the headquarters.

Sophie put on a brave face as she turned to face her new team. "Where am I sleeping?"

"I thought I'd let you stay here seeing as you have no other place to go."

"Really? How gentlemanly of you. Is this supposed to make up for what you just did?"

"A simple thank you would have sufficed."

"Why should I thank you? Kidnapping, stealing, bribery, threat, holding a hostage against her will do your work; you should be grateful I don't double cross you and turn you in."

"I used your weakness against you."

"And what is my weakness?"

"You care too much. Try not to get too attached to the crew," Nate made his way upstairs. "Make yourself comfortable, you'll be here a while."

"Is he always like this?" The other three nodded. "Well, I suppose we should introduce ourselves. I have many names, but I go by Sophie Devereaux. Now you three tell me who you are."

"Eliot Spencer."

"Alec Hardison, call me Hardison."

"Parker."

Sophie raised an eyebrow. "Parker what?"

"Just Parker."

"How do you know Nate?" Eliot questioned.

"Long story," Sophie sat down, "but I'll just leave it at Nathan Ford and I don't get along."

"Which his weird, 'cause I think he trusts you."

"He trusts the grifting, not the grifter."

"Which reminds me," Hardison interrupted, "we've got a job tomorrow with our new grifter. I wanna remind y'all to meet by three o'clock."

"Thanks for the reminder, Big Ben," Eliot sarcastically thanked.

"I take punctuality very seriously, unlike you and procrastinator Parker."

"At least I get things done!" Parker noted.

"You're all so adorable," Sophie laughed. "You remind me of a family the way you guys fight like siblings. I like you three already."

"Do you take instant likings to people?" Parker took a seat besides Sophie.

"Not usually, don't you learn that the hard way. Tara is really the only person I like. We've known each other since college."

"Nate didn't have the right to do that to you and Tara."

"I know his type. He likes to be in control, and if he's not…well you better hope you don't get him mad. They'll stop at nothing to be in charge."

"We've never seen him mad."

"It's like we automatically gave him control," Hardison implied. "Look, it's gettin' late, I'm-a head back to my place."

"Ditto," Eliot headed for the door. "See ya tomorrow Sophie."

"Yeah, bye Sophie," Parker got up to leave.

Sophie sat there all alone. "Nice bunch."

…

"And you have no idea who she was?" Moreau asked his guards. They shook their heads. "You're all worthless!" He stormed up to his private room. He noticed an open safe. "Damn!" Something on the floor caught his eye. "These aren't mine." He searched for a name on the non-prescription bottle of vitamins. He went back to one of his guards. "Take this to the DNA lab and have it tested for fingerprints. You're bound to find recognition that way."

…

Sophie was awake when Nate came downstairs the next morning. "Good morning," Nate greeted.

"Bugger off."

"This is my apartment you know."

"It's mine too. It's also headquarters for our new crew. I feel since I live here now too, I can create some set of rules. Though my place is better, I have a balcony outside of my room."

"I'm the only one who makes the rules. Do you know what would happen if I let anyone else run my team?"

"It might ease some tension you've been building up." Sophie walked behind him, "and your body language definitely shows that tension," she began rubbing his back. "I'd just help relieve some."

"It's not going to work on me, Sophie." Nate walked away. "I know your tricks."

"Do you, Nate?"

"I chased you and Tara for over six years didn't I?"

"But you haven't caught us."

Nate shrugged. "So? I've caught you now, haven't I? You're on my crew Sophie. I give the orders, you follow them. Got it?"

"I work independently, I follow my own rules. I can find a way to balance both your rules, and what I want to do, but you have to respect my decision."

Nate muttered something under his breath. "You can be a real ice queen sometimes."

"Sometimes?" She raised an eyebrow to him as he let out a small laugh.

…

"This guy, David Thompson," Hardison was presiding over the briefing, "he was born in Canada in the early 1970's and came to this country in late 2007 alone and broke. Made friends with Michael Graham," he clicked his clicker and new picture came up. "Michael is the son of prominent CEO and businessman William Graham III, and had ties to the mob. Gave David assistance financial wise, helped him get on his feet. When William died in 2009, Mike, the only surviving family, member got everything. Mike paid some debts to the mob and ended their ties peacefully and nothing went wrong. David knew about the mob, knew Mike paid off his debts, and asked for some cash to help get his business going."

"And Mike says no," Nate deduced.

"Less than a week later Mike Graham is found murdered and David takes control of everything Mike had."

"Who murdered Mike?" Parker asked.

"No one knows, but Mike's fiancée suspects Dave asked the mob to get rid of him so that Dave can get everything."

"Makes sense," Eliot had gruffness in his whisper.

"David's practically ran the businesses into the ground, has over twenty-five lawsuits, and people asking to sell his businesses are gettin' into serious, almost fatal accidents."

"So what are we going to do?" Sophie questioned.

"We're gonna get this guy," Nate replied. "You are going to distract, as all grifters do, and try to see if you can get him to tell you any information while Parker and Hardison sneak into his office and steal whatever files they can as Eliot watches out for them."

"And what about you?"

"I guess I'm going to have to keep an eye on you to make sure you don't screw this up."

"Come on Nate we can trust her!" Parker defended.

"You have to stop treating her so much like a prisoner," Eliot told him.

"_Her_," Sophie drew attention to herself, "is sitting right here. Can we just do this job and get back here?"

"Before you go," Hardison tossed her something. "We got you a new comm with a tracking device. It's our way to make sure everything's cool and it's for safety purposes."

"Thank you."

"Aw girl you're so polite, unlike some people," the team eyed at Nate.

"Let's just get this job done and get back here," Nate instructed. The younger three were out the door first. When Nate got to the door, he held it open for Sophie. "Ladies first."

"Go ahead, Nate."

"That stopped being funny in the 90's. Go on."

"You're still not a gentleman." She brushed passed him as he smirked.

…

The job was going so much easier than anticipated. Parker and Hardison could easily sneak in and get the files they needed while Eliot stood guard, and Sophie was actually a better grifter than they thought. Somehow, she even managed Thompson to spill out some information they could use against him.

Unbeknownst to the team, someone else inside the building knew what was going on.

"Well…I do what I do," David chuckled to Sophie. His cell phone vibrated. "Could you excuse me a minute?"

"Sure," Sophie walked toward Nate. "So?"

"They almost got what they need and Eliot hasn't had to hit anyone," Nate explained. "It's one of our personal bests."

"I meant, how I am I doing?"

"I hate to admit it, but you're still the best. I'm actually somewhat impressed."

"Somewhat?"

Nate pointed to Thompson. "I think he's done talking. Keep distracting him until we get the okay from the other three."

Sophie went back to David. "That didn't take too long," she greeted. "Anyone important?"

"Nah, just business crap. Listen, hows about you and I go get a drink? I know this great bar down by the Mystic River."

"That's a bit out of the way. How does a guy like you even know about that bar?"

"I got lost en route to meet a friend, stopped for directions, they gave me a free drink for my troubles, and I came back the next day. It's like a home away from home there. They give me a discount there. Come on, my treat."

"Well…sure."

"Sophie, I wouldn't do this if I were you," Nate's voice rang through her comm.

"I'd love too," Sophie took out her comm and put it in her pocket

David began to lead Sophie out to his car. As he walked past a crowd of people, he made a quick signal to a man standing in the corner of the lobby, one Damien Moreau.

"Nate," Parker sounded anxious, "do you know anything about _McGill's_ by the river?"

"I'm not following Sophie; she can handle this on her own."

"SHE WENT WITH HIM!"

"Ah," Nate covered his ear. "Not so loud, Parker

"You don't understand Nate," Eliot was now speaking, "He knows somethin' bout Sophie. And once David Thompson takes someone to the Mystic River, they don't come back…alive."

"We did some diggin'," Hardison began, "one of the mob guys who worked with Mike and David owns that place. I checked out the blueprints, there's a hidden back room. If they take her in there…well we gonna be fishin' for a body in the Mystic River."

"Your location is closer than ours," Eliot noted, "get there first,"

By this point, Nate was already driving ten miles over the speed limit, "I gotta make a quick stop and them I'm on it."

…

David and Sophie sat at a booth at _McGill's_. "Nice here, ain't it?" He asked her.

"I can see why you come here." Sophie took a drink. "The river also makes a pretty background."

"It's not just the location and the booze, it's the friends." He gestured for some people to go to the booth. "I'd like you to meet my pals Joey and Danny."

"How do you do?" The men just nodded at Sophie.

"They've got a game room in the back for exclusive members only. Wanna shoot some pool? They got more darts back there too if you wanna shoot some darts."

"No thank you," Sophie looked at the clock on the wall. "I have to be somewhere, so-"

David's pals blocked her from leaving. "Come on, at least one round."

"Well…" Sophie looked around. "One round of pool wouldn't hurt."

"Good. Follow me," David led Sophie to the back room while his pals switched the sign from open, to close and followed the two into the back room and closed the door behind them. Sophie was now aware of what was going on. "Who are you really?"

She tried to leave, but Danny grabbed her. "Let me go!"

"Who are you working with?"

"I work on my own!"

"Damien said not to believe that."

"Damien Moreau?"

"Close friend of yours? He seems to know exactly who you are Sophie. Tara too. Now I'm going to ask you again, who are you working with?"

Sophie spat at him. "Go to Hell!"

"I don't like it when people try to double cross me. In the end, I find out, and they find out what happens. But since I do like you I'll let you choose your death and I'll make it quick and painless, like I did with my friend Mike. How do you want it? Stabbing, bludgering, shooting-"

"We ain't got the guns today," Johnny informed.

"Really? Shame, they're the most effective. Well stabbing or bludgering take your pick." Sophie didn't answer. "I think she wants a surprise. Boys, surprise her."

When Johnny took out a knife, gunfire shot through the door, hitting David. "I thought the coast was clear!"

"She must have back up!" David gritted. "Kill them!"

Johnny opened the door and found Eliot waiting there. "Surprise," Eliot punched him. Danny threw Sophie a few feet and attacked Eliot. Eliot had the upper hand and beat Danny up awfully bad. And when Johnny lunged for Eliot it became one of Eliot's trademark double fights

Nate ran into the room and over to Sophie. First thing he saw was some blood, a result of her being thrown pretty roughly onto her face. "You okay?"

She held him tight. "Oh my God I was so scared!" She cried onto his shoulder.

"It's okay, I'm here."

"NATE!" Eliot peeked his head through the door, "I'm a little busy in the bar, more company showed up. Get that Thompson guy to your car."

Nate went over to Thompson. "Come on you creep," he helped him up.

Thompson however, had a knife. While he was being helped up, he sliced Nate in the stomach. Nate grunted and fell to the floor. Thompson limped over to Sophie with the knife aimed at her. "Nothing personal, just business."

Eliot knocked David out with a nearby glass of champagne. "Too easy."

Sophie ran over too Nate. "Nate! Nate, are you okay!" He wasn't responding.

Eliot examined him. "Pretty bad stab wound." He took off his jacket and wrapped it around Nate. "Let's get him home; Parker and Hardison are on their way with the cops."

"Let the cops save him!"

"I know how to fix this; I don't want cops to think he's involved. I'll drive."

She helped Eliot get him to the car. "Where did you get the gun?"

"Behind the counter and under the register, where they're usually hidden."

…

Nate had regained consciousness while he was being taken home, and was fully awake when Eliot was stitching him up. "Seriously, you couldn't have gotten some morphine?"

"In a first aid kit?" Eliot went back to fixing up the wound.

"Great." Nate turned to Sophie, who was sitting beside him. "This is all your fault!"

"My fault?"

"If you hadn't," Nate took a pause to moan in agony, "if you hadn't have followed the guy none of this wouldn't have happened. You should've listened to me!"

"I was never told to stop distracting him, and we needed to catch him. We caught him didn't we?"

"How did he," Nate grimaced at the sensation of pain, "how did he even figure out who you were?"

"Before you got there he said Moreau told him."

"How does Moreau know about…OW! Dammit Eliot, that frickin' hurts!"

"Do you want me to fix this or not?" Eliot yelled back. Nate didn't say anything back. "Let me handle this."

"I don't know how Moreau knows about me," Sophie continued, "Tara too. Just as David tried to attack me, he said 'nothing personal, just business'."

"The only people he'd do business for would be the mob, owing them favors and all. So how does the mob tie to Sophie, Tara, and Moreau?"

"Moreau's in charge of the mob," Nate point blankly stated. "Somehow, I don't know how for sure, he found out about you and Tara. He must've been hiding out today and saw you with Thompson and told Thompson, who has mob ties and asks favors from them."

"Then what about Tara?" Sophie asked. "Does the mob have her? Does Damien have her? Is she alright?"

"Let's not worry about that now. Right now-"

"Don't you tell me whether or not I should worry about my best friend! She could be in serious trouble!"

"I'm not saying you shouldn't worry about her. Hell, I'm a little worried too. I just meant we should change the topic and discuss something else." Nate gritted his teeth. "How much longer is this going to take Eliot?"

"Not much longer," Eliot finished up. "Done." Nate breathed a sigh of relief. "That wasn't so bad was it?" Eliot went to the kitchen to wash his hands.

"It could have been avoided if she hadn't gone off with him."

"Nate, I-"

"-it's more our fault Nate," Eliot took the blame. "We shoulda told you guys to get out of there, but she needed to stay with him."

"Yeah, you know what, it is your guys' fault," Nate agreed. "Don't let this happen again."

"Thank you Nate," Sophie softly said to him.

Nate looked at her. "For what?"

"For saving my life."

"No, I didn't do that. It was all Eliot."

"Don't look at me," Eliot smirked. "When Nate found out he raced over to get me and fight the guys while he took you outta there. I did the dirty work, Nate did the lifesaving. Man's gonna have one helluva scar to prove it."

"Thank you, Eliot." He turned back to Sophie. "I suppose I should say you're welcome, but I still feel like I didn't do anything."

"Then thank you for caring enough to try to save my life," Sophie kissed his forehead.

"You're welcome."

"I'll sleep in your bed tonight, you shouldn't do much moving."

"Be my guest." Nate watched as she went upstairs.

"Aww," Hardison's voiced could be heard through the comms (which Sophie still had off in her pocket), "Nate's in love with Sophie."

"He's always been in love with Sophie," Eliot looked at Nate. "He just as his own Nate way of showing it."

"We gotta get these two alone together," Parker suggested.

"Guys, you know I can hear you right?" Nate reminded.

"We know."

…

Sophie was surprised to find Nate making coffee for himself the next morning. "Nate, you shouldn't be-"

"It's cool. I got the okay from Eliot do stand up, and move, and do things I usually do. I just have to be careful and try not to do anything too strenuous."

"I suppose that's good. The team coming by later for a job?"

"We took the day off. They're off doing their things, and I'm here." Nate sat down at the sofa and put his coffee at the coffee table.

"_We're_ here."

"Right, _we're _here. Since _we're _here, is there anything you want to do together?"

"Well, Tara and I usually go shopping on our days off. But if our bodies are feeling weak, and hers usually does, we stay in and watch romantic movies all day."

"Romantic movies?"

"Romantic movies, chick flicks, musicals, Disney, girl power movies-"

"What was the last one?"

"Girl power movies? It's movies where women are the heroes."

"No, before that you said Disney movies."

"Soft spot for those. You know the first thing Tara and I ever did together was go see _Beauty and the Beast_ at the dollar show in 1992 with our groups of friends. We watch that movie at least once a month."

"Have you watched it this month?"

"No."

"See that cabinet by the closet? The one where you need to punch in a numbered code." Sophie nodded. "You know what it is."

"Do I? It wouldn't happen to do with your lucky number would it?"

"Four digit code."

Sophie went over to the cabinet. "Four, eight, one, two." She opened it. "Are these all Disney movies?"

"There are a couple animated ones that aren't Disney. Those movies were my son's and I just couldn't part with them."

"I remember your son," Sophie took out _Beauty and the Beast_. "I ran into him once while I tried to track you down."

"Didn't hear from or about you til after he died."

"What happened to him was awful. I know that might be one of the reasons why you've become a secret vigilante."

"I also needed something to do following my divorce."

Sophie found herself chuckling. "Are you sure you want to spend the day with me?"

"Sure, I've got nothing better to do. I hope you don't mind though?"

"Mind what?"

"I talk through movies. I talk especially more through movies I've seen."

"I don't mind," Sophie put in the movie and sat down close beside him. "I like conversation."

So that's just what they did; they talked (and watched movies) and talked throughout most of the first and second movie (_Beauty and the Beast _and _Robin Hood_). By the third Disney movie they had put in (_Aladdin_), they ran out of conversation and just watched the movies. By the fourth one (_Cinderella_), Sophie was lying on Nate's side, her head on his shoulder as he stroked her hair.

"I always liked this scene," Nate whispered to her, referring to the dancing scene. "I don't know why, but I do."

"It is such elegant dancing. Nate, do you think we'd be dancing right now if you weren't hurt?"

"Who can say?" They were both quiet for a while. When Nate tried instigating another conversation, Sophie didn't speak. "Hey, you alright?"

"I'm just so worried about Tara. Not just whether or not Moreau has her, but usually when I'm not there, she won't take her vitamins."

"Anemia," Nate remembered what Tara told them, though he blew it off as a lie.

"If she doesn't properly take care of herself it could lead to heart problems like it always does."

Nate sighed. "Tara, she's, uh, she's like your family?"

"My only family. I mean, there are you guys, but…" Sophie couldn't find the words to say. "I'm sorry, Nate. This is probably something you don't want to talk about."

"It's not." Nate used the remote to turn the movie off. "Go."

"What?"

"She tried to get in touch with you via comms, I figured you gave her yours and I figured you knew I had hers. She tried asking where her vitamins were and when she got no response, she went to bed."

"When was this?"

"Yesterday, our first day together."

Sophie resisted the urge to slap him. "I know Tara; she'd tried to keep contacting me. I have to get back." Sophie went to leave, but stopped. "You're not going to stop me?"

"No. Go."

Sophie went back and kissed him before she left. Nate solemnly slumped back onto the couch after she left.

Hardison entered nearly ten minutes later. His face seemed disappointed when he saw Nate alone. "I figured by now you two would've been at least making out, or upstairs together. Where is she?"

"She's gone."

"Where?"

"Back to Tara."

"What? Seriously Nate? Why man?"

"It's what she wanted."

"And you love her enough to let her go?" Nate nodded. "Well let's hope you love her enough to go get her back!"

"Hardison!"

Hardison opened the door for Nate. "Come on, we're getting the team back together WITH Sophie."

…

"Tara!" Sophie was back at her place. "Tara, I'm home!" She got no response. "Tara?" She went into her room and gasped.

"Hello, Elisabetta," Moreau was waiting for her.

"Where's Tara?"

"You know," Damien displayed Tara's vitamins in her hand, "they really should put names on this. The lab I control determined four different sets of finger prints; mine of course, I picked it up from my penthouse, a man I had drop it off at the lab, Tara Cole, and Sophie Devereaux. Now, I also asked the lab to identify the two in a legitimate FBI database after I pulled a few strings. Tara, whose health problems include anemia, I didn't recognize. Sophie, I did recognize. So yesterday I happen to be out and about when I see Sophie, with a…friend of a friend. So I asked them to 'take you out'. Always nice to keep a spare cell phone, just in case."

"Where's Tara? I swear Damien if you touched her-"

"Why would I touch her when it's you I want?" He moved closer as Sophie backed away.

"I have people who will come for me!"

"Do you? I have people who are here for me, right outside the front door even. Hey, maybe my people will meet with your people." Damien inched closer. "What are you going to do now, Sophie? Run? You think I haven't planned on that? And don't try to scream."

"NATE!"

"Nate? Does he work with you? He can't help you." He grabbed Sophie.

The window to Tara's room shattered, and Nate made his way into the room. "Leave her alone Moreau."

Moreau sinisterly cackled. "Nate? Nathan Ford? Long time to see. I see you used a rappel and rock, nice touch."

"You're busted Moreau. Remember the phone you thought you shut off? I knew a guy who could easily turn it on again. And the files Tara stole, we stole them. We turned both of those into the FBI."

"You're bluffing."

"And the mob you're tied to, to reduce their sentences, I think they might have mentioned something about you."

"I'm not afraid of you."

"Why? Because you have your men outside?" Nate pulled a taser out of his pocket. "Bought me a few duplicates for my men, and Parker, outside."

"Three people compared to my dozen."

"Yee-ah, we also called him some friends of ours."

"FBI FREEZE!" The FBI was out at Sophie's door.

Damien's face twisted in anger as he growled. He pulled out a knife and put it to Sophie's throat. "Call off the FBI or I slice her throat."

Nate freed himself from his rappel. "You leave her out of this!"

"You're going to fight for her?" Damien threw her aside and stabbed Nate. Nate fell to the floor. "Fight for her!"

Nate looked up at him as he lay there bleeding. "Don't…don't have to."

Eliot, Parker, and Hardison were now inside the apartment each holding a taser. "Allow me," Eliot tasered Moreau and watched him fall.

"Gotta love the sound bytes on this phone," Hardison pushed the fake FBI voices on his phone.

Parker helped Sophie up. "You okay?"

Sophie brushed her off and ran over to Nate, who was now gasping for breath on Sophie's floor. "Nate," She held him in his arms. "Nate!"

Nate clutched his stomach; his hand was covered in blood. "Got me pretty good."

"You'll make it," Sophie began tearing up.

Eliot examined Nate. Moreau had got him not only at his previous wound opening the stitches, but also across a part of his chest. "Chances are pretty grim."

"Sophie," Nate's eyes looked directly up at her, "I…I need to tell you something."

"What, Nate?" She leaned closer to him.

"I...I lo…love you. I have ever since…ever since I first met you. I don't think I ever stopped."

"I know Nate, I know." Her tears were falling on him.

"I don't want Eliot to sew me up."

Sophie couldn't help but chuckle at that. "You'll be alright, we'll get you to a hospital and…" Sophie couldn't find the words to say. "I can't lose you."

"Say you love me. I have to hear it."

"I love you, Nate."

"I love you too," He reached up and kissed her lips, before drawing a final breath.

"No!"

"He's gone, Soph," Parker softly told her.

"There still is a chance! Eliot, there's a first aid kit in Tara's closet with basic necissites plus a few stolen medical equipment. Use that."

"Soph..." Eliot stood there with nothing to say, "…I don't think-"

"Please!"

"I'll see what I can do. Hardison, Parker, wait with her outside, show her what we got."

Parker and Hardison led her outside. "Eliot can save him," Hardison assured, "we trust the guy."

"I should've just told him how I felt," Sophie sat at her kitchen table. "Everything that's happened is all my fault."

"But we don't think we could go on without you on our team," Parker said to her. "Ever since you came, Nate's been tolerable, more nicer. He's been taking less risks and thinking the plans through."

"But the one time I do a job Nate almost gets killed. Now he's lying there dying."

"He did let me help him rappel though."

"We caught our biggest mark, and the other mark we needed," Hardison reminded, "we could never have done that so quickly."

"I need to be with Tara too."

Hardison touched his ear. "It's cool, come on."

Tara came into the room. "Hiya, Soph."

Sophie ran into her friends' arms. "You're alright."

"I will be after I take my vitamins. Sophie, I'm holding you back."

"No! No, don't think that."

"You stopped acting because of me, you're taking few jobs because you have to take them with me, and you take better care of me than you do yourself. You've cared about what I wanted for as long as we've known each other. Now, I'm gonna do the same for you. I'm kicking you out of place, and workin' solo."

"Tara."

"We'll keep in touch; we are best friends, aren't we? We just won't be business partners or roommates. Besides, I've got a man I want to live with me."

"Oh?"

Tara whistled and a golden retriever came running in. "Found him trying to eat our trash yesterday, named him Sam."

"I hope things work out between the two of you."

"AH!" Nate was going to be okay. "That's not supposed to sting like that!"

Sophie ran back into her room and kneeled beside Nate. "Nate?"

"I'll be fine...as long as you're going to help take care of me."

Sophie hugged his side. "Promise."

"And now that I have to take a temporary break, I need you to run the team for a while."

"Really?"

"And as soon as I'm better, I'll take you out dancing."

"Nate, stop. You're not going to get rid of me so easily." She leaned down and kissed him.

**…**

"_Tara!" Sophie brought her friend back to reality._

"_Sorry," Tara picked up the dress Parker and Sophie both agreed they like. "I guess this one will work with the right hair."_

"_Can't be too careful. The last time you were like that, you passed out from anemia issues."_

"_That reminds me, I have an appointment tomorrow at my doctor's. Wanna come with? We could go shopping."_

"_I do need to get some more food for Thanksgiving. You're still joining us Thursday right?"_

"_Totally."_

"_Hey," Parker drew attention to herself. "I'm still here!"_

"_Do you want to go shopping with us?" Sophie invited._

"_No thank you. I'm still coming over Thursday too?"_

"_Of course Parker."_

_After spending a day with Tara shopping, Sophie returned back to her apartment the next day only to discover Nate, and Nate alone. "Where's Sam?"_

"_Parker took him." Nate got up and gave her a kiss. "You get the stuffing and junk?"_

_She handed him a grocery bag. "You sure you don't want my help cooking? It's going to busy tomorrow."_

"_You need to get some sleep. I know you haven't been sleeping."_

"_Can I talk to you about that?"_

_Nate skeptically raised an eyebrow. "You know you can tell me anything, we are getting married."_

"_Of course we are. I need to talk about the wedding."_

"_Has that been keeping you up at night?"_

"_Partly. We need to set a date and everything."_

"_Sophie!"_

"_I'm serious. But we're not getting married at City Hall."_

"_And we're not getting married at a beach in the tropics."_

"_No we're not."_

_Nate gave her a confused look. "Isn't that what you had your heart set on doing?"_

"_Don't get me wrong I still want to do that, but with so many things going on it's going to be hard to do. I mean this is the holiday season. We've got to plan for Thanksgiving, and Christmas, and New Year's, and Valentine's Day wouldn't hurt either. Plus there are other things we have to care of."_

"_Like what?"_

"_Like our wedding, the cons, the dog, the baby, bills, the team gets a little bit difficult to manage too. We need to schedule things better if we're going to squeeze in any vacation time. And I want to play a nice birthday for Tara this February."_

"_You tell me I worry too much? Sophie, maybe you should…" Nate paused. He looked at Sophie and his eyes got wide. "What did you mean when you said 'baby'?"_

"_Tara saw the doctor about her anemia and I asked if he could tell me why I wasn't sleeping and so sore. He ran some tests while Tara waited in the waiting room and then he told me I was pregnant."_

"_I don't believe it."_

"_Neither did I. He said I was most likely in the third month and that I'm due in May. And then in June we've got Eliot's birthday, mine in July, yours and Parker's in August, Hardison's in September, and then the Holidays are near again. By the way, your birthday is most likely to blame for a May birthday." Nate was silent. "Well?"_

"_Well? I'm…I'm stunned, shocked, surprised, shocked-"_

"_-you said shocked twice."_

"_Plus I'm anxious, nervous, and terrified."_

"_We didn't plan on this happening Nate but it did."_

"_And I'm glad it did."_

"_You are?"_

"_Sophie, we're having a baby. What's not happy about that? I love you so much more for that." He kissed her._

"_How are we going to tell the team?"_

"_You let me worry about that. Now, get some sleep while you can. Remember, you're sleeping for two now."_

"_Don't be too long."_

_The day after Sophie's revelation was Thanksgiving. As Nate put everything on the table, he stopped them from eating. "Before we begin, let's go around the table and say what we're thankful for. Let's start with Eliot, and then we'll go in a circle ending with me. Eliot."_

"_Um…I'm thankful for…I dunno women," Eliot was kind of surprised by Nate's request._

"_Women are nice. Hardison."_

_Hardison was equally confused. "I guess I'm thankful for being able to hack. Nate, why are we-"_

"_Parker."_

"_Money!" Parker had a huge grin on her face._

"_Ah, no surprise. Tara."_

"_Um," Tara shook her head in thought. "I'm thankful for you guys putting up with me and letting me spend Thanksgiving here and not alone. So, thanks."_

"_You're welcome. Soph?"_

"_There are so many things I'm thankful for," Sophie knew what she wanted to say, but she also knew Nate had his way of saying it too. "I'm thankful for you Nate."_

"_Likewise," he gave her a quick peck. "And I'm also thankful for you guys. You have become my family and I don't know what I would do, or where I would be, or even who I would be, if it wasn't for you people. I love you all."_

"_We love you too Nate," Eliot had some a hint of sarcasm in his voice. "Can we eat now?"_

"_Sure."_

_Sophie sat there confused. "You didn't tell them?" she whispered to Nate_

"_Tell them what?"_

"_About the baby."_

"_What's that?"_

"_Nate!"_

"_Speak up, Sophie," Nate's voice was loud enough for the team to hear. "What did I not tell them?"_

_Sophie stared the four pairs of eyes staring at her. "Nate and I didn't tell you that I'm…that we're expecting." Eliot, Hardison, and Tara froze midway through getting their food. Their mouths hung open. Hardison's mouth unfortunately had food in it, which subsequently fell out_

"_Charming, Hardison," Nate commented._

"_Expecting what?" Parker didn't understand._

"_A baby, Parker. I'm pregnant."_

_Parker had a bigger smile on her face. "You are!"_

"_Aw man," Hardison was tearing up. "I'm-a gettin' too emotional. We's gonna have ourselves a baby."_

"_Congrats Soph," Eliot congratulated._

"_Did you find this out yesterday when we were out all day?" Tara questioned._

"_I had to tell Nate first," Sophie responded._

"_Good, at least we know it's his."_

"_Hey!" Nate objected._

"_I'm happy for you Sophie," because Tara was sitting beside her friend, she gave her a hug._

"_I propose a toast," Nate lifted his glass of soda. "To family."_

"_To family!" Everyone clinked their glasses together._

"_Ooh," Parker looked at Sam. "What's Sam thankful for?"_

"_He's probably thankful he gets to eat a piece of the turkey," Tara suggested._

"_He won't be thankful for the stomachache he'll get," Eliot joked as he and Hardison both reached for a roll. "Let go!"_

"_No. Man, I saw it first."_

"_I got to it first."_

"_Let go!" The two began fighting over the roll. Next thing they knew, the roll flew out of both their hands and hit Parker on the head._

"_Do you mind?" Parker reached for Tara's roll._

"_I was going to…" Parker threw it at the two guys before Tara could finish her sentence. "…eat that." Tara took her roll. "So I'll have to eat yours."_

"_Hey!"_

_As the four of them erupted into a big argument, Nate and Sophie glanced at each other and smiled. They wouldn't want Thanksgiving to go any other way._

* * *

**Okay, still not done. I've got some more people to do. Plus I gots a weddin' and a birthin' and a endin'; all that good stuff. This fantasy was mostly Disney, but I took stuff out for length (and it still went long). Here's the list:**

**Nate: Beast (mostly due to his attitude)**

**Sophie: Belle**

**Eliot: a bit like Lumiere of the group**

**Parker: this one's hard; she's like Mrs. Potts coz she's the girl, but like Chip is a child and Parker's child-like**

**Hardison: Cogsworth (I made references to time for him)**

**Tara: Maurice (Sophie's only family, gets sick, original prisoner)**

**Damien Moreau: Gaston (I just wanted to use Moreau)**

**Nate saving Sophie the first time was like Beast saving Belle from wolves**

**The comms kinda acted like the magic mirror in a way, it's how Nate used to keep track of Sophie**

**They took the time to get along/fall in love with each other…kinda**

**And if I missed a few things, spot them out for me.**

**And I did research; Mystic River is real. I loved the book and movie and used it because it was set in Boston, and found out that is was acutally real! Go figure**

**On a serious, personal note: I apologize for the delay. Yesterday my grandmother, who went in the hospital for congestive heart failure (as she usually does) had a massive stroke around 9:30 in the morning. While my mom was gone the whole day, I stayed with my sister, who needed me a little more than fanfiction. Gramma's situation is touch-and-go right now, but very, very grim. I'm gonna ask you guys to say a prayer or something because I don't know how our family's gonna make it without Gramma. Thanks for reading, and caring.**


	7. Maggie's Fantasy

**Me again! I need something to do to distract me from life.**

**Okay we're gonna jump ahead, as I had planned, and get into a totally different version of a popular fairy tale. Though it has some elements from the Disney version everybody loves, the villain isn't who you think she is (hint hint). She's just more of an obstacle in the way, much like the original (more sadder) version.**

**I wish I could've surprised you with the identity, but you read the chapter names anyway; there was no way to keep it a surprise. Besides, I keep the fantasies secret.**

**Shout out: LilyTheGrifter, I think you might like this one (hint, hint)**

**Here's Maggie's fantasy.**

* * *

_Months had passed, it was a new year by this point, and Nate and Sophie were still engaged. From November to early January, Sophie pressured Nate into getting married, but by mid-January til the present time (late February) a wedding seemed further and further from her mind; she was having a baby after all._

_And since announcing she was pregnant, the team had basically taken up Nate's apartment (which was also their headquarters) as a second home, particularly Parker. Tara had even taken up residence in Boston for another year as the team's back-up grifter. And like some strange stroke of fate, they weren't getting as much jobs as they usually did; so they had more relaxation time._

_Which was no use to Nate. Even though Sophie was sleeping a little bit better at night, he wasn't. Something, he wasn't sure what, was keeping him awake at night and in bed until noon, or until some noise or the dog got him out of bed._

_Thumping noises coming from downstairs around nine in the morning usually got him out of bed. One particular morning he went downstairs and found Hardison working out to a pregnancy workout video._

"_There something you're not telling us Hardison?" Nate's sarcastic question startled Hardison._

_Hardison paused the video. "Ha, ha, laugh at the black man. Parker and Tara are busy and asked Eliot and I to fill in as Sophie's work out partners. Of course Eliot didn't show up."_

"_Smart move on his part, though I'd figure he'd come with a camera at the chance to humiliate you."_

"_Man, why don't you do this?"_

"_For one thing, do you see any men on that video? Second, I'm not as young as I used to be. I have to save my energy for a new baby."_

"_Y'all should try working out, it's actually relieved stress. It's good for you lazy people too. Your laziness is contagious."_

"_Is it?"_

"_You better believe it. I mean, seriously, look at him," Hardison directed the attention to Sam. Sam was lying on his side sleeping. "That is one lazy mutt."_

"_Well, until they get a workout video for dogs, I guess he's a lost cause." Nate headed to the coffee pot. "Where's Sophie?"_

"_Bathroom."_

"_Ah, that doesn't surprise me. That bathroom's become a second home to her. Let me know when she's done, I have to shower."_

"_Hot date?"_

"_I have to meet someone, yes."_

"_Should we be concerned?"_

"_Should I be concerned what Tara and Parker are doing together without the rest of us?"_

"_They just plannin' a baby shower. What're you plannin'?"_

"_Who says I'm planning anything? I just have to meet someone later."_

"_Meet who?"_

"_No one of importance."_

"_A client?"_

_Nate took a sip of his coffee. "Sure, let's go with that."_

"_Keeping secrets ain't good you know. Secret keepin' is somethin' that builds up stress you know. So tell me what you're hiding."_

"_I'm not hiding anything. I said I'm meeting someone, and I'm meeting someone."_

"_Who's the someone?"_

"_That part I'm hiding."_

_Sophie exited the bathroom and went over to her fiancée. "Good morning," they kissed each other. "Get in there while you still have time. His plane lands in two and a half hours."_

"_Oh come on!" Hardison was desperate to know what Nate was hiding. "Sophie knows?"_

"_I didn't say I was hiding it from Sophie," Nate made his way into the bathroom._

"_Ready to get back to our exercises?" Sophie asked Hardison._

"_What is that man hiding?" Hardison pushed play and the two friends resumed their exercising._

"_He's not hiding anything."_

"_Then why can't he tell me who he's meeting?"_

"_He wants to keep it a surprise from you guys."_

"_And he didn't keep this guy's identity a secret from you?"_

"_Well he's not keeping that secret anyway."_

"_What does that mean?"_

_Sophie looked at Hardison. "He didn't tell you?"_

"_Tell me what?"_

"_Oh, he didn't tell you. He said he told you guys. He must've forgot to tell you."_

"_What are you talking about?"_

"_Oh, just be surprised."_

"_And here is Nate and Sophie's place, and the team headquarters," Eliot entered with a camera. "Speaking of Sophie, around this time in the mornin' she does pregnancy aerobics or somethin' with her lady friends." He turned the camera to Sophie and Hardison and began laughing. "Somethin' you ain't tellin' us Hardison?"_

_Hardison threw up his hands in annoyance. "It's like he knows the perfect moments to humiliate me! Man, how do you-"_

"_-it's a gift." Eliot kept the camera on Hardison. "Go on and do your thing, a lot of single moms who see this might be impressed."_

"_Aw Hell no!" Hardison started toward Eliot, but Eliot began backing away._

"_And the chase is on," Sophie said to herself as Hardison began chasing Eliot around the room. "Careful! Watch out so you don't trip over the…" Sam yelped. "…dog."_

_Later that afternoon when Nate went to pick up the mystery guest, Parker and Tara came by to see Sophie. "Hiya Soph," Tara greeted._

"_Hello ladies." Sophie's friends each sat beside her on the couch. "Where were you this morning?"_

"_We had to do some girl stuff."_

"_Really? Parker, I didn't know you like doing girl stuff."_

"_I don't," Parker replied. "Though today was actually kinda fun."_

"_What'd you do?"_

"_Shopping mostly."_

"_Why didn't you guys invite me?"_

"_We went shopping for you," Tara responded. "Sophie, you gotta tell us what you're having 'cause I saw this cute little outfit that-"_

"_-I thought you guys knew?"_

"_Nope.""_

"_Should we know?" Parker inquired._

"_There's somethin' weird goin' on," Tara observed. "Sophie, you seriously don't know if you're having a boy or girl?"_

"_No, I don't," Sophie responded._

"_Does Nate?"_

"_Of course he knows. He told me he told you, but I think he forgot to tell Hardison. But now I'm thinking he forgot to tell everyone."_

"_He told us that unless you and he know, we'll know. And he followed up by saying you both knew."_

"_So Nate lied?" Parker asked._

"_Yes he did."_

"_Who's to say that's not all he's lied about?" Sophie got out her phone and called him. "Could you give me a moment alone to talk to him?"_

"_Please don't fight," Parker requested as she and Tara stepped outside. "I can't believe Nate lied about that."_

"_He probably wanted to keep it a surprise to Sophie and knew we'd spoil it," Tara suggested._

"_Then why did he spoil it for himself?"_

"_Nate's the kind of guy who's always prepared and doesn't like surprises. I knew he wouldn't be able to resist finding out the sex of the baby."_

"_Can someone help me up please?" Sophie called from the couch._

"_Probably has to go to the bathroom."_

"_Why do pregnant women always have to pee?" Parker inquired._

"_Because a baby is practically laying on top of their bladder."_

_Parker made a Parker face. "Makes sense."_

_Tara helped Sophie get off of the couch. "Thank you," Sophie thanked. "Nate says he's about to pull in with Paul."_

"_Father Paul from Los Angeles?"_

"_Paul's in town for some seminary thing for the week and Nate invited him over tonight. Could you make sure Sam doesn't attack him or anything?" Sophie closed the bathroom door._

"_Father Paul?" Tara didn't know who he was._

"_Nate's preacher friend from Los Angeles," Parker explained. "We helped save his church once. Nice guy." Someone knocked on the front door. "Come in."_

_Paul slowly opened the door as Sam came charging. "Hiya pal," Paul began petting the dog. "Boy Nate was right when he said you were cute." Paul looked up at Parker and Tara. "Hi Parker. And you must be Tara," he got up and shook her hand._

"_Hi," Tara felt a small attraction to him, but noticed his wedding ring. "Parker tells me you're a preacher."_

"_Yes, I am. I work in Los Angeles."_

"_Hello ladies," Nate entered the apartment next. He bent down to Sam's level. "Yes, yes, Daddy's back!" Nate shooed the dog away from the door. "Sophie in the bathroom?"_

"_Yep," Parker answered. "She should be out soon."_

"_So Nate," Paul sat down in a chair, "what's your surprise?"_

_Nate gave one of his typical looks to Paul. "Not as big as yours, Paul."_

"_Paul has a surprise?" Parker's eyes got wide._

"_No presents or anything."_

"_Oh. What's your surprise Paul?"_

"_Well this past Christmas I got married," Paul smiled._

"_Congrats," Parker seemed confused. "How is that a big surprise?"_

"_Paul," Sophie was now out of the bathroom and making her way toward Paul. Paul stood up and cautiously hugged her. "How are you?"_

"_Good," Paul turned to Nate, "I take it she's having _your _baby." Nate rolled his eyes at his friend's sarcasm._

"_Nate, you didn't tell him?"_

"_It is a pleasant surprise, don't get me wrong, but I thought the surprise was the dog and something…not quite like this. Wow."_

"_Paul got married," Parker informed._

"_You did? Who's the lucky lady?"_

"_That's the…the uh…the big surprise," Nate ran his fingers through the side of his hair._

"_Guys!" A familiar voice rang from outside the apartment._

"_You brought your wife here?" Tara questioned._

"_That must be the big surprise," Parker thought she understood._

"_Sorta," Nate nervously told her._

"_Nate," Sophie moved toward him, "what exactly is Paul's big surprise?"_

_The door slowly opened and Maggie stepped in. "I parked the car behind…" Maggie looked around, "…hello." Sam immediately went over to her and began smelling her. He growled. "I don't think your dog likes me, Nate."_

"_What is she doing here?" Parker whispered to Tara._

"_Ladies," Paul went over to Maggie, "this is my wife."_

"_Oh," Parker and Tara each made a surprised face._

_Maggie looked nervously around the room and fixated her attention to a pregnant Sophie beside Nate. "Sophie, I had no idea you were expecting. How far along are you?"_

"_Maggie," Sophie decided to change the subject, "I'm curious, how did you and Paul get together?"_

_Paul took this as his cue to go sit down. "Well," Maggie cleared her throat, "he asked me to go to a get together with him and…I can't really explain, but we got to talking about a relationship and next thing we knew, we were dating, then engaged, and we got married over Christmas."_

"_Hear that, Nate? Over Christmas."_

"_Where'd you guys get married?" Tara asked._

"_We got married in Jamaica at sunset. It was really very nice. I'm sorry; I didn't think to invite you guys."_

"_A beach wedding at sunset?" Sophie glared at Nate. "And at Christmastime too."_

"_We were kinda busy over Christmastime anyway," Nate lied._

"_So tell me Sophie," Maggie began, "what's your husband like?"_

"_Oh, I'm not married." Sophie then proceeded to glare at Nate, "and I highly doubt I will be getting married in the near future."_

"_Maggie," Nate cleared his throat, "Sophie and I are...engaged and expecting."_

"_Oh," it was Maggie's turn to be surprised. "Oh, congratulations. I'm really happy for the two of you."_

"_This has been…"_

"…_sufficiently awkward," Paul finished Nate's statement. There was silence for a few moments. "So, what's for dinner, Nate?"_

"_I thought we might go out for a nice seafood dinner."_

"_No!" Parker objected. "I don't eat fish."_

"_I didn't know that," Sophie was surprised by Parker's objection._

"_You never know, you might be eating Flounder. I don't eat crabs or lobster either."_

"_Oh Jesus," Nate understood what Parker meant._

"_When she says Flounder," Paul was confused, "does she mean the fish from the _Little Mermaid_ cartoon?"_

"_Yeah," Parker responded, "what did you think I meant?"_

"_Why don't I just order pizza?" Nate suggested._

_As the evening progressed, Hardison and Eliot joined the gang for dinner, and were quickly caught up with everything; including why Maggie was making out with Paul on the couch when they walked in._

"_I thought we were gettin' seafood," Eliot paid for the pizza._

"_Parker doesn't want to eat Flounder," Tara informed._

"_By flounder, does she mean the fish flounder or the character Flounder?" Hardison inquired._

"_Character."_

"_What did you think I meant?" Parker looked at those two guys._

"_There's somethin' wrong with you," Eliot growled. "I actually wanted seafood tonight."_

"_As long as my pizza had anchovies," Sophie looked up at Nate._

"_Yes, I made sure it did. A whole anchovy pizza for you."_

"_Can I have one with anchovies?" Maggie asked._

_Paul gave his wife a surprised look. "I didn't know you like anchovies."_

"_At first I hated them, and I only ate them when I was pregnant. Remember Nate?" Nate nodded. "After I had Sam the taste of anchovies just wouldn't go away and I'd find myself calling pizza places at midnight for a pizza covered with anchovies. I prefer a cheese pizza, but I tolerate anchovies."_

"_Soph, do you mind sharing your pizza?" Nate asked Sophie._

"_But it's my anchovy pizza." Sophie whined. When Nate gave her a look, she groaned. "Fine." She slid the box over to Maggie._

"_Flounder's not an anchovy is he?" Parker asked._

"_He's not a real fish!" Eliot snarled at her._

"_He might be! I had a fish named Flounder once."_

"_Flounder is a common fish name," Hardison agreed._

"_Whose side are you on?" Eliot questioned._

"_I'm just sayin' due to the extreme popularity of _Little Mermaid_, little kids were buyin' up fishes and namin' 'em Flounder."_

"_You know the real ending was much sadder," Tara began talking about the fairy tale, "and the sea witch wasn't the bad guy."_

"_Who was the bad guy?" Parker's curiosity got the best of her._

"_There wasn't one. But if I had to pick, I'd pick the girl who was going to marry the prince."_

"_Um, that was the sea witch," Parker reminded. "She was in disguise, duh!"_

"_No, Parker. The little mermaid saved the prince, but she fled when she heard someone coming. That someone was another woman, a human princess, the prince thought saved him. The little mermaid wanted to become human, so she went to the sea witch for help, gave away her voice, and became human. Though the prince did fall in love with her, however, he was still gonna marry the other princess. And when he did, the next day the little mermaid would die. Heartbroken, the little mermaid, who was told she'd die if she returned to the sea, jumped back into the ocean and died."_

"_That is so not what happened! The story had a happy ending."_

"_The Disney story had a happy ending, as all Disney stories do. I didn't even mention her sisters cut off their hair and gave it to the witch in exchange for a dagger."_

"_Why?"_

"_The little mermaid couldn't go back to the ocean, or she'd turn to sea foam and die. But as a human, she felt nothing but pain with the legs. So her sisters gave their long, beautiful hair to the witch in exchange for their sister to come back. The witch gave them a knife and said the little mermaid had to kill the prince and have his blood fall onto her feet if she wanted to return to her undersea home. She didn't and jumped back into the ocean and died."_

"_The original story would never have made a successful movie," Sophie agreed._

"_Yeah but the 80's _Faerie Tale Theatre_ wasn't that bad," Nate reminded._

"_The one with Mindy from _Mork and Mindy_?" Paul remembered._

"_Yeah, it featured a younger Helen Mirren as the other princess."_

"_Do you own the DVD collection of that show or what?"_

"_The collection was Maggie's, but someone I ended up with them in the divorce."_

"_No wonder I could never find them," Maggie chuckled._

"_What happened to the little mermaid at the end of that one?" Parker asked Nate._

"_Sorta the same thing," Nate answered, "with a stupider ending."_

"_The actual, original tales turned Disney were more dark, and gruesome, and just plain creepy," Sophie commented. "Strange, sadistic rituals, necrophilia, cannibalism, the lists go on and on."_

"_That's the good stuff," Eliot bit into his pizza. "Ain't gonna see that in a Disney movie."_

"_Necrophilia came close in _Snow White_," Tara reminded._

_Maggie looked down at Sam as she bit into her pizza. "Why is he looking at me like that? Is he hungry?"_

"_He just doesn't like you," Parker point blank answered._

"_Parker!" Sophie even objected to that statement._

"_What? The 101 Dalmatians knew Cruella was evil. Prince Eric's dog knew Ursula in disguise was evil."_

"_Again, that's Disney, it's fake," Eliot growled._

"_Besides, Maggie isn't a villain," Hardison reminded._

"_Thank you, Hardison," Maggie thanked._

"_Sam's just not use to you," Nate assured._

"_He seemed to take a liking to me," Paul reminded._

"_We prepared him for your arrival," Sophie informed. "Nate suggested we show pictures and repeat your name so he knew about you. We didn't know Maggie was coming or we would have prepared him for that. He'll get used to you."_

"_You sure?" Maggie asked._

"_Just give him some food, maybe then he'll like you," Nate suggested._

_Maggie tossed Sam an anchovy. "He is a cute dog."_

"_We get that a lot."_

"_Hey Nate, can we watch _The Little Mermaid_?" Parker asked._

"_No. You people are all leaving early so Sophie and I can get some sleep."_

"_Well, you guys made me wanna watch it!"_

"_Come over to my place, I'll watch it with ya," Tara invited. "We can also talk about some girl stuff."_

"_Cool."_

"_You're welcome to come too Maggie."_

"_Maybe tomorrow," Maggie declined. "Paul and I need to get settled into the hotel. When we get to the hotel I'll call you." Maggie looked at her watch. "Maybe we should get going now, let them get their rest, take a couple pizzas for the road."_

"_I do need to get ready for tomorrow," Paul agreed. He pulled Maggie's chair back and pushed it back in when she stood up. "So, we'll see you all some other time."_

"_Drop by anytime," Nate assured. "Bye Paul. Maggie."_

"_Bye everyone," Paul helped Maggie put on her coat and held the door open for her. "Well, that was…sufficiently awkward."_

"_It was nice to see them again, you have to admit," Paul said to her._

"_Yeah, it was. It was a surprise to see Sophie and Nate together though."_

"_Not really, I could see some connection between them. I wasn't surprised. I think they were all more surprised by us."_

"_True. I should've told them I was not only visiting, but visiting with you as my new husband."_

"_Surprises are nice. Nate doesn't like them, but-"_

"_-can we not talk about Nate and the team anymore?"_

"_Sure." Paul was quiet for a moment. "I don't know about you, but I feel like watching _Little Mermaid_. Puts me in a happy mood."_

"_Even after hearing the depressing version?"_

"_Makes me feel like watching the happier version. I remember when I was younger and I had a girlfriend obsessed with this movie. She loved everything happy, but that movie was her favorite. Then I took her to see _Silence of the Lambs_…you can guess how that relationship ended." Maggie giggled at his statement. "I'm serious, we should watch it."_

"_Fine, I have no objections, just so long as you're talking about _Little Mermaid_."_

"_Though you're right, it might be a little bit harder watching knowing the original, suicidal version. But it's more realistic, if mermaids existed. Hey maybe, we should watch _Splash _instead?"_

_Maggie's thoughts had drifted off when Paul mentioned realistic, if mermaids existed of course._

**...**

Maggie's fantasy setting took place near the ocean. Like Parker's, hers seemed to take place in the time of castles; made obvious by the castle in the distance. Sitting on a rock in the middle of the ocean was a seagull who bore a striking resemblance to Eliot.

"Eliot!" A female voice called out to him.

Eliot turned around to see Sophie in the water. "Soph, how are ya?" He made his way down to her level. "What did you find today?"

"I found this," she took a fork out of her bag. "This too," she took out a pipe. "I figured since you're the expert on human stuff you could tell me."

Eliot examined the fork. "Oh yeah, this is what humans call a fork."

"A fork?"

"They use it to straighten their hair out. You can find one at every table complete with the other things I told you about." Eliot took a closer inspection of the pipe. "This one is tricky, haven't seen one of these in a long time."

"Can you still tell me what it is?"

"Some kinda pipe. Humans use this when they wanna make music. Very complex objects humans have, huh?"

Sophie examined the pipe. "I can see where the music goes in, but how does it come out?"

"Must have to do with the little end piece here; try thinkin' up a tune and maybe if ya start singin' it'll come outta that end."

Sophie did what Eliot suggested. She sang into the round part of the pipe and waited for something to come out of the thin end. "I don't think it works."

"Probably needs some kinda thingamajig to make it work. This all you found today?"

Sophie nodded. "Parker and I were going to explore some more sunken ships this afternoon.

"Parker isn't that weird fish who thinks she's a mermaid?"

"Be nice to her, she's my best friend."

"And I assume you're her only friend?"

"Eliot!"

"What? I'm just sayin' there's somethin' wrong with her. I'm hungry; I'm gonna go scare people picnicking on shore."

"Have fun!" As Eliot flew away, Sophie went back under the sea. Parker, in the form of an angelfish, was waiting for her near a large rock. "I've got some new things today."

"Sophie, you're in trouble," Parker warned.

"I am?"

"Today was your dad's homecoming. You and your sisters had that big thing planned with your major solo."

"That was today? Bloody hell, I completely forgot!"

"He seems kind of upset and wants to talk, or most likely scream, at you. Hey if he doesn't turn you into a fish stick or anything, how do you want to celebrate your birthday?"

"I doubt I will be celebrating anything," Sophie swam to the undersea castle she called her home and stood outside the throne room.

The doors opened, and there stood a crab, who bore features similar to Hardison. "I hope you're happy now that you ruined everythin'. Man, I had a special speech and everythin' planned but no. You had to go and ruin it for-"

"-Sophie," the king's voice was rough, "come here. Hardison, leave."

"Now I can't even watch you get punished," Hardison sulked out the door where Parker was waiting.

"What do you think he's going to do?" Parker whispered.

"Maybe if we listen at the door we can clearly hear him screamin'."

…

On the castle on land, preparations were being made for what appeared to be a big party. And Jim Sterling seemed to be in charge. "No you buffoon, the streamers were supposed to be cerulean not green!"

"This is blue green sir," the servant shook in fear.

"Get out of my sight!" Sterling made his way to the kitchen. "Where is our chef?"

"He had a nervous breakdown," a maid answered as she passed the kitchen.

"Again? I suppose I'll hire that chef who works at that French restaurant, _Les Mason_ or whatever." Sterling continued down the hall where the shaky servant stopped him. "What now?"

"His majesty, King James, has requested that you arrive to meet the prince and bring him home."

"What?"

"Please don't hurt me!"

"The prince is on an island in the middle of the Mediterranean!"

"The king has prepared a boat for you to take. His majesty would go himself, but he is sick, and confined to bed rest."

Sterling sighed. "Send his majesty my thanks and gratitude."

"It departs in thirty minutes."

"WHAT!" The servant cowered away in fear. "Do they enjoy torturing me like this?" Sterling took out his pipe and lit a match. "I better get a raise or something."

…

Sophie's punishment included her not having a birthday celebration, and being confined to her room for the rest of the night. The next afternoon after extremely long, and boring princess lessons, Parker was waiting outside the castle for the Sophie. "Hi Soph!" Parker waved a fin to her.

"Come on," Sophie sort of ignored her and swam off. Parker did her best to keep up with her friend. The two stopped in front of the large rock they planned to meet at the day before. Both of them cautiously looked around before Sophie pulled the rock away and she and Parker swam in, both of them unaware that someone was following them.

The rock led away to reveal a secret grotto where a bunch of human objects completely encompassed the place. Sophie placed her fork and her pipe amongst her collection. "It is sort of cluttered isn't it?"

"I think it looks nice, clutter isn't such a bad thing. Did Eliot tell you what your new things are?"

"Uh-huh, this is a fork, and that is a pipe. The fork is easy to use; I just can't get the pipe to work. Eliot says it's supposed to play whatever music you're thinking of."

"Maybe it's broken."

"I don't know for certain. Human objects are so fascinating aren't they?"

"Yeah, I guess. I mean I'm never gonna use them, I have fins."

"I was thinking of giving this to Daddy when he came back," Sophie showed Parker a watch. "It's a nice piece of jewelry; Eliot says it's a bracelet that tells time."

"Why didn't you give it to him?"

"You know how Daddy feels about humans. The reason I was sent to my room was because someone saw me going towards the surface. He purposely made my princess lessons longer, and on my birthday too!"

"Well, it is your birthday, and you should have a happy one; it's like a law or something. Come on, let's go to the surface."

"AH-HA!" Hardison the crab made his way to the top of the clutter to get face to face with Sophie.

"Hardison?"

"I knew you were a bad influence; they should call you a devil fish!"

"Go pinch yourself!"

"What are you doing here?" Sophie questioned him.

"I've been sorta promoted; my job is to keep constant supervision on you."

"You told Daddy I went to the surface?"

"No, that was the last guy. King Neptune fired him for letting you go to the surface and not stopping you. That is not going to happen with me. Come on; let's go home where his majesty has a nice birthday dinner planned for you. It's a surprise though, so you don't nothin'."

As Hardison began leading Sophie back to the castle, a dark shadow covered the ocean. Naturally curious, Sophie began to swim up to investigate, Hardison and Parker swimming close behind. Sophie's eyes went wide when she discovered what it was. "A boat!"

"Humans, they gotta be up to no good. Come on your highness before-"

Too late, Sophie swam closer to the boat. Once there, she climbed on top of it. Aboard, there were men celebrating. Some were playing music and dancing horribly, others were playing card games, and one particular man was bossing men around trying to keep control. Also aboard the ship was a creature unfamiliar to Sophie sniffing around. Within seconds, Sophie was face to face with a dog. "Hello," Sophie whispered. The dog barked and licked her face.

"Sam!" This was a new voice. When Sam heard whistling, he immediately ran to the source. "What are you barking at you crazy mutt?"

Sophie stared at this new man and a new feeling came over her when she stared at his blue eyes.

"Hey!" Eliot was flying over her.

"Eliot!" Sophie gestured for him to land beside her. "Look," she pointed to Nate. "I've never seen a human so close before." She swooned. "He's very handsome isn't he?"

Eliot did a double take. "I hope you're not referring to the furry, drooling monster over there."

"Your highness!" The bossing man made his way toward the prince, "there have been reports of a storm headed in our direction. I suggest, since it's getting darker, that we abandon ship and get onto one of the life boats and I steer us toward land."

"Sterling, you need to trust people more," Nate smacked him on the shoulder. "Trust me; we'll be safe in this boat if any storm approaches."

"I'd feel safer if we went with my plan."

Nate pretended to think about what he said. "Should my fiercely loyal crew listen to the castle advisor, or the prince? Tough call. Boys!" He diverted the attention toward him and Sterling. "Should we listen to the uptight castle advisor …" he waited for applause, "…or me?" applause and cheering noises filled the ship. "Looks like we're staying on the ship. Besides, if enemy ships approach, do the life boats have cannons or emergency gunpowder?"

"No, Your Highness. But-"

"-Sterling, relax. It looks nice out, I doubt they'll be a…." Thunder clapped in the distance as the wind began to pick up.

"You were saying your highness?"

"All hands on deck, we got a storm coming!" The men on the ship began adjusting the sails as one of them began steering. Rain began pouring amidst thunder and lightning, and the wind was only increasing.

Sophie and Eliot struggled to hold onto the boat, but the wind was too strong. Eliot was now sucked into the wind and was flying away. When Sophie tried to reach for her friend, she fell back into the water. Eliot wasn't there, and because of the waves, neither were Parker and Hardison.

Even though the wind was dying down, there was still rain, thunder and lightning. When lightning struck the ship, a fire broke out. Nate instructed the men to get onto the lifeboats. When everyone got onto the boats, Sterling took a head count. All men were accounted for. One dog however, was still on the ship. Nate made his way back onto the burning ship to save his dog. Nate took the dog in his arms and headed to the boat, but by some unfortunate luck, he got his foot caught in a loose floorboard. Instinctively, he threw his dog into the water (and Sam doggy paddled his way to one of the boats) and tried to get his foot out of the floorboard.

KA-BOOM! The fire spread to the gunpowder and the boat blew up before Nate managed to get off. Sophie watched in horror. Quickly thinking, she swam over to the wreckage to look for Nate. She found him, unconscious, barely clinging onto a piece of the boat. When he slipped and fell into the water, she pulled him up. Sophie spent the rest of the night bringing him to land.

She laid next to the body as Eliot flew down to her. "Eliot, is he…dead?"

Eliot landed examined Nate. "I'll check for a pulse," he put Nate's foot to his ear. "Dammit! He's a goner."

"No!" Sophie noticed Nate was breathing. "No, he's breathing. He's alright." She pushed his hair out of his face. "He's so beautiful." Sophie began singing to him.

As waves washed to the shore, Parker and Hardison were now visible. When Hardison saw Sophie lovingly singing to Nate as the sun rose, his jaw dropped. He didn't keep her from the surface after all, and she was in love with a human.

Nate slowly began to open his eyes. He noticed there was a woman singing to him, but he couldn't keep his eyes open long enough to get a look at her.

And when a brand new voice was heard, Nate's true heroine disappeared into the water. Sophie then hid behind a large rock as Maggie made her way to Nate. "Oh good, he's alright."

Nate opened his eyes. "Hi."

"Hello," Maggie nervously greeted. "Gee, you must've really been through something."

Sam, barking the entire way, ran over and licked his master. "Sam!" Nate sat up.

"Oh my God!" Sterling was following the dog. "Do you people want to put strains on my blood pressure? You had me incredibly worried, Your Highness."

"Your Highness?" Maggie asked. "You wouldn't happen to be Prince Nathan would you?"

"Last I checked." Maggie helped Nate up. Nate turned to face her. "I can't thank you enough for what you did."

"For what I did?" Maggie was confused.

"Do you want to come back to my castle and meet my dad?"

"Um…okay, that sounds nice."

Sam turned around and noticed Sophie poking her head out from behind the rock. He began barking and ran toward the water. "Come on Sam!" Nate called his dog.

Sam just kept barking. "Let's go dog!" Sterling ordered.

"Come on, boy!" Sam ran back to his master.

When the humans were out of sight, Sophie sat herself on the rock as Parker and Hardison made their way out into the open. Hardison was panicking. "Oh the king can NOT find out about this! If he does, he's gonna kill himself a crab. We cannot, I repeat NOT tell anyone about this."

"We can't just pretend like it never happened," Parker gestured the attention to Sophie. "If the king finds out Sophie's in love with a human…he'll lock her in the castle forever. And Sophie is definitely in love."

"I have to see him again!" Sophie watched the shore.

"Aw Hell no!" Hardison objected.

"Then I have to become a human."

"How are you going to do that Missy? Your dad's the only one with enough magic to do things like that."

"What about the sea witch?" Parker remembered.

"I'm going to have to see her," Sophie dove back into the water. "You two are coming with me."

Hardison let out a girly scream. He then became angry and turned to Parker. "You are definitely a devil fish!"

"I asked around, devil fish don't exist," Parker informed.

"Then you the devil in disguise as an angelfish."

"Guys!" Sophie waited for them. "Come on!"

…

The trio was growing increasingly frightened as they went into the deeper, darker part of the ocean. "Oh goodness," Sophie looked around. "I can see why a lot of fish swim away from these parts."

"M-m-may-maybe we should turn back," Parker was quivering.

"No, she's the only one that can help me." Sophie and the others swam further until they noticed a rundown undersea shack. A worn out sign with what appeared to be 'sea witch' was noticeable. "This is it." Sophie knocked at the door. "I heard she's very ugly, so try to be nice."

A beautiful looking mermaid answered the door. "I had a feeling you'd be coming."

"Who are you?"

"I'm Tara, the sea witch."

"You are?"

"Well, the sea witch is under new management and I'm in a huge debt to the original sea witch. So yeah, come on in, I've been waiting for you."

"How did you know I was coming?"

"When you're the new sea witch you're taught how to predict the future; it's the first thing you have to learn. So, you're here because you've fallen in love with human, this Prince Nathan guy."

"That's it exactly."

"And you want to become a human so you can be with him?" Sophie nodded. "I think I might be able to help you."

"Might?"

"Yeah, honestly, I'm just an apprentice sea witch. The real one's on vacation. I know how to do some things properly; transformations…the results have been adequate at most. Those transformations were underwater creature to a different underwater creature, keeping their gills. You want to become a human."

"Can you still change me into a human?"

"I'll see what I can do." Tara swam over to a book and began flipping through the pages. "Hammerhead…hermit crab…ah human," she overlooked the spell. "Seems easy enough. If performed wrong can result in…oh. They should put disclaimers first."

"Result in what?" Hardison questioned.

"Nothing too serious."

"What is 'too serious'?" Parker inquired.

"Look, if I want to do this right I have to take away your voice."

"What?" Hardison, Parker, and Sophie were in unison with this inquiry.

"If I want to guarantee it works perfectly, I have to take that away."

"But...he thinks someone else saved him," Sophie protested. "If I can't sing to him…how will he know it was me?"

"Play charades or something."

"Charades?"

"It's a human game. You have to do this if you want to become human; and besides, you have no money. You gotta pay me with something."

"Princess, don't do this." Hardison objected.

"Yeah, wait for him to come back to land and sing to him," Parker suggested.

"But then he'd figure out I'm a mermaid," Sophie reminded.

"Bring him down here; maybe we can turn him into a merman."

"He can't breathe underwater, Parker. How would we get him down here without him drowning?"

"Maybe we should wait for the _real_ sea witch," Hardison told her.

"She'd want real money, money I'd have to get from Daddy. And you know Daddy will object."

"Soph…may I call you Soph?"

"Sure."

Tara continued, "…you're a beautiful mermaid, you'll make a beautiful human. You don't need just your voice to get a man's attention."

"I don't?"

"Human men prefer sight to sound anyway; the same applies for all male creatures when you think about it. Do we have a deal?"

Sophie sighed. "Deal."

"Okay," Tara went to a shelf of potions. "How do you want me to remove your voice?"

"What?"

"If I remove it manually, I'd have to cut out your tongue, or cut you open and remove your vocal cords."

"What's Plan B?" Hardison questioned.

"I can make a potion to take your voice away without causing you any harm."

"I'd go with Plan B," Parker agreed and Sophie nodded.

"Okay," Tara went back to her book. "Uh-oh."

"Uh-oh? What uh-oh? No uh-ho!" Hardison was panicking.

"They really should put that in bigger print near the top."

"What?"

"For one thing this potion is temporary."

"Temporary how?"

"A temporary potion means that you can stay in the form you want for a temporary thing unless of course you reach your goal by sunset on the third day. What's your goal? Money? Power? Love?"

"Love, definitely" Sophie answered.

"Okay. If you want this to become a full effect potion, you've gotta get your true love to give you true love's kiss," Tara scoffed and rolled her eyes, "ain't that the answer to everything?"

"Will I get my voice back if I do?"

"I dunno. Like I said, I'm just an apprentice sea witch. Okay, you have until the sun sets on your third day as a human. If you don't get him to kiss you…here's where the real uh-oh comes in."

"What happens?"

"You die."

"I die!"

"That's not really fair!" Parker was also upset. Of course since she hadn't fainted (unlike Hardison) she could vocally speak out.

"And you can't return to the ocean or you turn into sea foam," Tara added, "which is essentially the same thing as dying."

"So there's no win-win to any choice I make?" Sophie noted.

"Like I said, beautiful mermaid equals beautiful human. You might be able to get him to kiss you, but will you take that risk?"

"Sophie, don't!" Parker dissuaded.

"If I don't, I may live to regret it for the rest of my life!" Sophie told her.

"Mermaids do live for five hundred years," Tara added. "Are you still going to do this?" Sophie nodded. "Okay," Tara turned the pages in the book. "The voice potion should be ready soon."

"What will happen to my voice?"

"The potion's gonna suck your voice right out of you and transfer it to my shell necklace for safe keeping. You won't feel a thing; it'll be like being possessed."

"How would you know what that's like?"

"You won't believe what training sea witches are put through." Tara said a magic phrase and two green hands appeared. "If you could sing or something so they know who's voice to take, that'd be great." Sophie did as she was instructed. One hand kept her balanced, while the other went down her throat and pulled out her voice. The voice was in the form of a little yellow ball, which made its transfer into Tara's shell necklace smoothly. "See, it doesn't hurt." Tara made another potion and put that one into a drinking glass. "Drink this. This will immediately get you unconscious so you don't feel the effects of turning human. When you wake up, your friends and I will have helped you get to the shore. Good luck. Oh, you have to drink it all, I know it tastes awful, but it won't work unless you drink it all."

Sophie drank the potion. When it was finished, she and the empty glass dropped to the ocean floor.

…

When Sophie regained consciousness, she was lying on the sand.

"Hey!" Eliot flew down beside her. "Look at what the catfish dragged in. There's somethin' diff'rent bout ya Soph, but I don't know what."

Sophie looked down at herself. She lifted her new human leg and wiggled her new human toes.

"Wow, it worked!" Parker, who was nearby in the water, was in awe. "You really are human."

"Human? How did she become human?" Eliot looked at Sophie.

"She gave her voice to the sea witch so she could become a human."

"I bet it's got somethin' to do with the prince guy."

"Uh-huh. She's gotta get him to fall in love with her, and kiss her in less than three days. But she can't come back in the water, or she'll die if she does. Then again, she'll also die if the prince doesn't kiss her."

Sophie, who was trying to stand up on her new legs, fell back onto the sand. "That ain't exactly a win-win," Eliot commented.

Hardison was having a panic attack. "Just look at her, man! On legs! On _human_ legs!" He gasped like a girl. "Oh if the king finds out he's gonna kill himself a crab. Wait, if the king finds out, maybe he can fix this." Hardison headed back into the water, but Sophie scooped him up in her hands. "Ah-ah-ah, don't shake your head at me Missy! Your dad has all the powers of the ocean in his trident. He can reverse this spell and you can go back home with all the normal fish and just be…" Sophie's eyes became sadder, "…just be..." Hardison sighed, "…just be miserable for the rest of your life." He had no choice. "Alright, you win. I'll help you find that prince." Sophie kissed him and set him down on the sand. "What a soft shell I'm turning out to be."

"Well, in the human world it ain't a good idea to be naked," Eliot looked around and noticed a ripped sail and rope. "You wear this, and you'll fit right in."

Parker looked around. "Do you hear something?"

"Probably the wind," Eliot went back to fashioning an outfit for Sophie.

Distant barking became closer and closer as Sam came running toward Sophie (who was wearing the sail as a dress with rope around it). As if by instinct, Sophie was now able to run and run while holding the outfit to her human body. While Parker went back under the water, and Eliot flew away, Hardison hid himself in Sophie's 'dress' as she tripped over a small rock. Sam began licking her face.

"Sam!" Nate was running to catch his dog. Sam was trying to get his master's focus onto Sophie. "What's gotten into you, you dumb mutt!" Nate noticed Sophie lying on the ground. "Oh my God, are you alright?" He helped Sophie stand up, but she didn't have a good balance so she fell over. Thankfully, Nate was there to catch her. "Whoa! Careful." He looked into her brown eyes. "Have we ever met?" Sophie nodded in excitement. "We have? What's your name again?" Sophie tried to speak, but then the realization hit her. "Can you talk?" Sophie solemnly shook her head. "Well, that's a bummer. You look like you've really been through something. Don't worry, I'll help you. I'll take you back to my place and you can stay there for a while."

…

As soon as she was brought to the castle, Sophie was whisked away by servants to be cleaned for dinner. While new surroundings were completely fascinating to Sophie, they weren't so much for Hardison. When servants were preparing a new outfit for Sophie, the old one was discarded to be washed. Soap didn't taste any good to Hardison as he was being forced in an out of the wash. Being rung out to dry was no picnic either. The first opportunity he got, he went into an open window. Unfortunately, the open window led to the kitchen; where seafood was on the menu.

…

"I highly doubt that, Your Highness," Sterling sat down at the table as Nate looked out the window at the ocean. "Princess Maggie was there when you were rescued and-"

"I can't get the voice out of my head," Nate interrupted, "and it wasn't Maggie's voice. Whoever saved me had brown eyes; that I could remember. Maggie has blue eyes. Besides, when I brought up the singing, Maggie was extremely confused."

"Singing?"

"The girl who rescued me sang to me, I remember that too."

"Really, a brown eyed, beautiful singing girl saves your life then just disappears before you wake up? And when you wake up, Maggie, a princess, happens to be there."

"You're too much of a killjoy Sterling. She was real, and she wasn't Maggie. I'm gonna find the real girl who saved me…and I'm gonna marry her."

There was a knock at the door. A servant who looked like Monica Hunter entered, "I was wondering if his highness was ready for your dinner guest to enter."

"Yeah, bring her in."

Monica went back out to get Sophie. "Come on, don't be shy." She brought Sophie inside. Sophie stepped into the light (in a beautiful pink dress) as she made her way to Nate.

Nate was incredibly speechless at Sophie's beauty. "You look…wonderful." Sophie smiled back at him. "You hungry?" He pulled out her chair, and when she was seated, he pushed it back in. "I don't really know what's for dinner tonight, but I'm sure it'll be…" He and Sterling stared at Sophie as she brushed her hair with a fork. Embarrassed by their reactions, she threw the fork down.

"Charming," Sterling pulled out his pipe and lit a match. Sophie's eyes went wide with excitement. "You like this?" He handed Sophie the pipe. "It's rather…" Sophie blew on the pipe, and smoke completely covered Sterling's face.

Nate couldn't help but laugh. He cleared his throat, "Um…so sorry Sterling," There was a hint of sarcasm.

"Why Nathan, this is the first time you've smiled in weeks," Monica noted.

"Yes, very amusing," Sterling cleaned his face. "Monica, darling, what's for dinner?"

"That new chef we hired, that young protégé Colin, is preparing stuffed crab for dinner. He says…" incredibly loud crashing and glass breaking distracted her. "I think I'd better go see what he's up to."

"So, mademoiselle," Sterling looked at Sophie, "I have been told you can't speak. If we give you paper, will you be able to write down your name?" Sophie looked at him confused. "Do you not know how to write?" The same reaction. "What kind of neanderthalic kingdom do you come from?"

"Ease off, Sterling," Nate defended. "You don't talk to a lady like that! Maybe her kingdom is illiterate, don't judge her." Sophie smiled.

"Well, it would be most helpful to know her name."

"Yeah, it would, but it's not necessary." Monica put a covered tray in front of Nate. "Thanks, Monica. I bet everything here is incredibly new to her."

"Well then—thank you Monica-maybe you should help her explore her new surroundings. Perhaps a tour would be wise." Sterling lifted his tray. Hardison quickly looked over at Sophie with pleading eyes. She lifted her lid up, and Hardison scurried over to her.

"I suppose a tour would be a good idea." When Nate turned to Sophie, she slammed her lid down. "Whaddya say? Would you like to join me on a kingdom tour?" Sophie's eyes went wide with excitement as she nodded.

"Excellent! Now, let's eat before this crab wanders off my plate." Sterling looked down at an empty tray.

…

Later that evening, as Nate played outside with his dog, Sophie watched outside the balcony of the guest room. She found herself gazing lovingly at him. Nate took notice of this and waved to her. Embarrassed again, Sophie just waved back and went into her room. Using the fork from the dining table she borrowed, she began brushing her hair.

"This is definitely the worst day of my life!" Hardison griped as he stood on the dresser next to her bed. Sophie patted him before she got on top of the bed. "I hope you appreciate what I'm going through for you. Tomorrow, we gotta get that prince to kiss you. But it depends on what you do. Might I suggest, batting of the eyelashes," Hardison demonstrated. However, when he looked over at Sophie, she was out cold. Hardison smiled at her. "Girl, you are hopeless. You know that, right? Completely," he yawned, "hopeless."

…

Nate took Sophie for a tour early the next morning. The new world she was exploring was a beautiful mystery to her, and it almost got her into trouble a few times that Nate had to come to her rescue. Yet throughout the day, Nate found himself growing more and more attracted to her.

"Psst!" Parker was trying to get a good view from the ocean, "have they kissed each other?"

"Not yet," Hardison whispered back.

Sophie grabbed Nate's arm and led him to a band performing in the street. "You wanna dance?" He asked her. Sophie looked around at the dancing couples. "It's easy," Nate helped teach her to dance. "See?" Sophie smiled as he held onto her, and even lifted her in the air for a spin. When the music stopped, they found themselves even closer than before. "You wanna go for a boat ride?" Sophie nodded.

…

The boat ride was silent. Sophie's animal friends, not so much. Parker tried swimming around. "I can't see a thing!"

"Nothin's happ'nin'!" Eliot observed. "Less than a day to go and he ain't puckered up once! Maybe if I provide some romantic vocal stimulation."

"Nah-uh! The last time that happened I almost went deaf!"

"How could you go deaf when you ain't got no ears?"

"Neither do you!"

Hardison groaned. "Neptune help me, I'm doomed."

"You know," Nate stopped rowing, "I feel bad not knowing your name. Maybe I can guess; is it Katherine? Jenny? Sarah? Jane? Christy? Charlotte? Miriam? Raquel? Dominique?" Each time Sophie shook her head no.

"Man, dude, her name's Sophie!"

"Sophie?" Nate looked around for the voice. Sophie shook her head with excitement. "Sophie's your name? That's kinda pretty. Okay then, Sophie it is."

"Did he hear you?" Parker whispered to Hardison. Hardison shrugged. "Tell him to kiss her!"

"You tell him to kiss her!" Hardison objected.

"Do it!"

"Do it," Hardison mocked. "Prince…uh…Man, just kiss her!"

"Did you hear something?" Nate looked around. "Sounds like someone's telling me to..." Sophie lovingly stared at him. Nate found himself moving in closer, but he pulled back. He stifled a cough. "It's getting late."

"AW HELL NO!"

Nate looked around. "Are you sure you don't hear anything Sophie?" Sophie shook her head.

…

Nate stared up at Sophie's silhouette in the window while he was outside looking out to the ocean.

"Nate?"

Nate turned around. "Maggie?"

"Nate, I'm so sorry about your father. I heard you weren't home when he passed. Are you out here to collect your thoughts?"

"That's one of the reasons I'm out here tonight. It's looking pretty grim, isn't it?"

"There's no use avoiding the situation; you have to get married by tomorrow or the next in line gets to rule."

"And I have to marry a princess."

Maggie looked up at what Nate was staring at. "Monica's told me about her."

"I don't know what it is about her, but I think…I know…" Nate sighed, "I'm not sure."

"I know you wish she was a princess. But you know I am a princess. I do have feelings for you, Nate. If you want, I'll marry you and I'll keep you reigning."

"I don't know if that's what I want."

"Sterling is next in line."

"Sterling?"

"We had the court lawyers look over your father's will, it's outdated but legitimate. If you don't marry before six o'clock tomorrow, you abdicate the throne to Jim Sterling. Nobody wants that."

"Okay, Maggie. I'll marry you."

Maggie gave Nate a hug. "I'll get ready for tomorrow."

…

Eliot flew into Sophie's window the next morning. "Whaddya still doin' up?" Eliot startled Sophie (and Hardison) out of a sound sleep. "Haven't you heard?"

"Heard what?" Hardison yawned.

"Prince Nate is gettin' himself hitched today!"

"Hitched?"

"You know married. Everyone's talkin' 'bout a big weddin' ship leavin' this afternoon. I'll catch ya later, I wouldn't miss it!"

"What is that birdbrain talkin' about?"

Sophie put two and two together. A wide smile spread across her face as she ran to the door. Nate was standing outside the door. "Hi, Sophie. Can I come in?" Sophie nodded and let Nate into the room. Nate sat on the bed. "I uh…I don't know how to tell you this, but…I'm getting married today." Sophie scooted closer to him and puckered her lips. "I really would like you to be there when it happens. I mean, I know we've just met, but you've already become like a best friend to me. Would you like to be the maid of honor?" A look of confusion spread across Sophie's face. "Oh, you haven't met Maggie yet. Maggie and I are getting married this afternoon." An upset look replaced Sophie's confused look. She ran out of the room, and past Maggie, in tears.

…

Sophie spent the entire day at the beach crying. Nothing Eliot or Hardison did could console her. All hope was lost, and by sunset she'd be dead.

"Sophie," Nate was dressed all fancy for his wedding. Sophie just looked at him. "I'm really sorry; I should have told you about everything before." She turned her back to him. "I guess I deserve that. I would still like you to come to the wedding." With her back facing him Sophie shook her head. "Sophie." She didn't look at him. "Goodbye," Nate kissed her cheek and walked off. Sophie turned and watched him leave. She fell onto the ground crying.

"Soph," Hardison rubbed the side of his claw onto her back, "maybe I should get your dad. He can work his magic and you can return home to your family, they miss you."

"It's better than just dyin'," Eliot tried to comfort her.

"Sophie!" Sophie sat up when she heard Parker's voice, but she couldn't find Parker anywhere. "Sophie!" A woman made her way toward Sophie. "Hi, Sophie." Sophie and the others were in shock. "I found the original sea witch. She gave you back your voice and said that you can come home. She said by sunset, you'll just turn back into a mermaid, but you can come home. She also wanted me to give you this." Parker displayed the shell necklace. "She waived the fee." She opened it, and Sophie's voice returned to her. "The human thing was a way for me to hand over the necklace; thumbs are so much better than fins."

Sophie hugged her best friend. "Thank you, Parker!"

"What are you doing here? There's still time, you can still get him to kiss you!" Sophie ran off in Nate's direction. "Come on," Parker scooped up Hardison and followed her. "Eliot, make sure they don't say 'I do', stall if you have to!"

Eliot chuckled. "Royal feast, here I come!" Eliot flew off to find the ship.

When Sophie went to the docks, the ship was gone. "No!" Parker and Hardison caught up to her. "I'm too late."

"Swim, Sophie!" Parker commanded.

"But…if I get in the water-"

"I fixed that, remember! Start swimmin', I'll be right behind you!" Parker set Hardison down. "You, come with us. And if anything happens, get the king!"

…

Nate stood on the wedding ship staring off at the ocean. Sam stood by his side whimpering. "What am I doing, Sam?" Nate scratched his dog's head.

"Yes, what are you doing, Nate?" Sterling stood beside him.

"Why didn't you tell me this Sterling?"

"It was in your father's will. If he was to die without his son being married, he wanted the royal advisor to take the throne before anyone in that other well-to-do, next in line for the throne family. Of course, he wrote that when my predecessor was in power, and you were a child, a technicality now no doubt, but still. I thought I could trust Maggie not to tell, I knew she didn't really love you. Thankfully that Sophie wasn't a princess or I'd be doomed."

"You leave her out of this Sterling."

"Forgive me your highness." Sterling walked away.

Sam growled at Sterling. Nate found himself smiling. "Oh yeah, he'll be lookin' for a new job soon."

Father Paul went over to Nate. "We're about to start," He gestured for Nate to stand at the altar.

"I'll be there in a sec," Nate took one last look out to the ocean. "Come on, Sam." Sam, originally sulking, suddenly perked up and began barking excitedly, Sophie and Parker were making their way to the ship. "Come on, Sam!"

…

When the two friends, and Hardison, made it to the boat, Sophie began climbing. Parker stayed in the water. "Parker, come on!"

"This is all you, Soph. I'll stay here in case something happens."

"But-"

"Go! The sun's about to set!"

Sophie continued climbing onto the boat. When she made it to the top, Nate and Maggie were both standing at the altar holding hands. "No," Sophie whispered in defeat.

"Hiya, Soph," Eliot was at the buffet table. "I tried to stall, but the royal guards had royal guns and shot at me."

"I'm too late, Eliot."

"Maybe I can get his attention toward ya and-"

Sam began barking excitedly. He made his way past the wedding guests and over to Sophie. Everyone turned to see what made this dog cause such a fuss.

"Sophie?" Nate made his way toward her. "You…you came. Though I did ask you to come earlier so-"

"Nate." She put her finger to his mouth to get him to shut up.

Nate realized in that moment, the sun setting down on her face, who she was. He took her in his arms. "It was you all along."

"I wanted to tell you."

"Oh, Sophie," He leaned in for a kiss.

Sophie gasped and slid out of his arms and onto the floor of the ship. The sun had set and revealed her true form. The crowd was in awe of a real live mermaid.

"I knew she looked familiar." Sterling made his way toward the mermaid. "The legends are true. This is the youngest daughter of King Neptune."

"What?" Nate looked at Sophie.

Sterling took Sophie's wrist. "You are going to make me rich."

"Let her go Sterling!"

"Why should I listen to you? You're not in charge anymore Nathan. I believe that the sun always sets by six o'clock, the time your reign ends." Sterling looked at his time-telling bracelet. "Whaddya know, it's six-o-two and you're not married to a princess. I've been king for two minutes." Sterling pushed Nate and picked up the mermaid.

"Let me go!" Sophie tried to free herself.

Eliot observed this and tried to get Sterling to drop her. "Shoot the bird!" The guards obeyed Sterling, and Eliot got hit by a bullet. Sam charged at Sterling, but Sterling kicked the dog away.

"Let me go!"

"Alright," Sterling threw Sophie onto a lifeboat and jumped in. He grabbed the emergency rope in the lifeboat and began tying her. "This will hold you!"

"Nate!" Sophie cried out to him, but Sterling used the rope to gag her.

"That oughta keep you from talking." Sterling began rowing the boat away as fast as he could. "Not only does a technicality make me king, but I'm also going to be filthy rich. Good day so far, wouldn't you agree?"

"Let my friend go," Parker caught up to the lifeboat.

"Another one?" Sterling reached for Parker, but she backed away. As he rowed closer to her, Hardison snuck onto the boat and used his claws to help free Sophie. "Get back here you mermaid!"

"I'm not a mermaid, I'm an angelfish!" Parker ducked back under the water.

A confused Sterling looked at one side of the water as a splash on the other side distracted him. He turned back to look and noticed Sophie was gone. "She won't get away so easily," The lifeboat came equipped with an emergency gun.

Sophie kept swimming away from Sterling and didn't stop, until she noticed a figure swimming toward her. As it moved closer, Sophie swam toward it. "Nate!"

Nate tried to catch his breath. "Shoulda…shoulda used the…the spare lifeboat." He felt himself growing weaker. "Can't…can't…"

"Nate?" Nate was about to fall under water, but Sophie caught him. "I have to get you back to shore."

Heading for shore, Sophie also headed in Sterling's direction. Sterling pointed the gun at her. "I've got you now."

"Hey!" Parker splashed him to distract him.

"You, die first!" Sterling noticed a tailfin sticking out, so he grabbed it. "Why is this one heavier?" The tailfin slipped out of his hand. "Show yourself!"

Instead of it being who he believed was the other mermaid; Sterling had grabbed King Neptune's tailfin. Neptune aimed his trident at Sterling, and in his place, was a fish stick.

Parker grabbed the fish stick. "I think Eliot will enjoy a nice snack."

…

As the sun rose the next morning, Sophie perched herself on the rock where she had hid prior and watched an unconscious Nate.

Neptune and Hardison watched her a few feet away. Neptune sighed. "She really does love him, doesn't she Hardison?"

Hardison looked up at the king. "If I say yes, you ain't gonna kill yourself a crab are you?" Neptune seriously shook his head. "Yeah, Your Majesty. She does love him."

"That does create a problem."

"It doesn't have to sire. You know what you gotta do."

"That's the problem." Neptune aimed his trident at his daughter. Sophie looked down at the magic below her, and smiled the biggest smile ever.

When Nate stirred, he was a bit upset not to find Sophie anywhere on the shore near him. He quickly got over it when he looked out to the ocean and saw her walking on water towards him. He ran to her, took her in his arms, spun her in the air, and kissed her.

As if by magic, the two found themselves standing at the altar on a wedding ship. A more than happy Sam jumped up and licked the happy couple as a celebration broke out.

Sophie made her way to the edge of the ship where Eliot was carrying angelfish Parker in his feet. Sophie gave Parker a kiss and petted Eliot's head. Eliot, who had been wounded, started to slip, but stopped himself in time. Parker used her fin to wave to her friend as she was lowered into the water.

Hardison stood atop the wedding cake with tears in his eyes. "Aw man, happy endin's get me all the time."

"YOU!" The young chef, who looked extremely like Chaos, began chasing Hardison.

As Sophie said goodbye to a newly promoted Tara the sea witch, crashing and glass breaking distracted them.

Amidst the commotion, Hardison jumped into the ocean more than happy. "YES!" He landed in between Parker and Eliot. "Thank you," he bowed, "Thank you. I am the king crab, baby!"

"Hi, Nate," Maggie stood behind Nate as Sophie said goodbye to her father. "No hard feelings?"

"None whatsoever," He shook her hand.

Maggie gave him a small hug. "I think she and I could be great friends."

"Well, she does need one who is human, and female."

"I'm more than happy for you Nate," Maggie pushed him toward his wife, "go on and kiss your bride again."

Nate joined Sophie over by the edge and waved goodbye to all the merpeople who were bidding farewell to their princess. As the sun set upon the ocean, the two newlyweds embraced each other in a kiss.

**…**

"_Hey!" Paul snapped his fingers. "You okay?"_

"_Huh? Oh yeah. I was just thinking." Maggie shook her head. "Do we know anyone named Colin Mason?"_

"_Isn't that the Chaos guy from _America's Most Wanted_? Maybe he was on that one show with that Monica Hunter chick before she had a psychotic breakdown."_

"_Maybe." Maggie stared out the window. "I am going straight to bed when we get to the hotel."_

_The next morning, Nate woke up early as Sophie slept in. After taking care of business, he pulled out his phone text messaged a group of people._

_Sophie woke up to Sam once again licking her face. "I can take a hint, you want me up!" Sophie sat up in bed._

"_Good morning Starshine," Nate quoted the lyrics to a song from a musical before kissing his wife. "You're glowing today."_

"_I glow a lot Nate, I'm pregnant."_

"_There's something special about today that's giving off more of a glow."_

"_You're planning something," Sophie suspiciously raised an eyebrow to him._

"_Maybe I am."_

"_What are you planning?"_

"_I'm going to see someone while you spend the day with Maggie."_

"_What?"_

"_Maggie is going to take you to your surprise baby shower, then take you shopping for a nice maternity dress, and you and I have a date tonight."_

"_Nate?"_

"_Tara and Parker have been planning this for a while, and I think that Maggie deserves a night out with some friends before going back to Los Angeles. You two would make great friends; and now that I'm with you, you have no reason to be jealous of Maggie. And we should get out and have some fun before the baby gets here."_

"_Naaate!"_

"_Sophie, please do this for me."_

"_What will you do for me?"_

"_I'll tell you after your day with Maggie. When you ladies are done, meet us at _McRory's_." Nate helped her out of bed and gave her a kiss before getting into the bathroom._

_As the day progressed, Nate's prediction was right; Sophie and Maggie were becoming good friends. It did help that Nate wouldn't have feelings for his ex-wife now that he was with Sophie._

"_Maggie, why am I wearing this?" Sophie looked down at her silvery blue maternity dress. "And why are you wearing that? Isn't it a bit chilly for that?"_

_Maggie was wearing a yellow strapless as she helped Sophie out of her car. "You'll see." She led Sophie to the bar, which was closed._

_Nate was standing outside of the bar dressed in a tuxedo. "Hello, Miss Devereaux."_

"_Nate? What's going on?"_

"_Come on," He linked his arm into his as he gestured for Maggie to step in first. "I bet you're wondering why I called you that."_

"_Nate, I don't really question anything you do anymore. Though this, I am curious to know what you're doing."_

"_While you ladies celebrated a baby shower, us gentlemen prepared ourselves for a wedding."_

"_A wedding?"_

_Nate opened the door and led Sophie to the back room. It was decorated with streamers and the team was dressed to impress while Paul stood at the end of the room. "I thought we weren't going to get another chance like this, and I remember you lamenting about having an illegitimate child."_

"_I don't know what to say?" Sophie was about to tear up._

"_I think you will when prompted," Nate walked Sophie up the aisle where Paul was waiting._

"_I think you two have waited too long to keep prolonged," Paul smiled. "So I'll keep it short. Sophie, do you take Nate to be your husband?"_

"_I do," Sophie tried to fight back tears._

"_Nate, do you-"_

"_I do," Nate took two rings out of his pocket, and handed one to Sophie. He slid his ring onto her finger, and she did the same after him._

"_By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you man and wife. Go on and kiss her, Nate."_

_Nate did as he was told and embraced his wife in a passionate kiss. The team applauded before heading off to the reception at the bar (which Nate had closed for a private party)._

_Sophie was the first to stop the long kiss by biting Nate's lip. This took him by surprise. "Soph, what-?"_

_She grabbed his hand and put it to her protruding stomach. "Feel that?"_

_Nate grinned. "Wow." He moved his hand along her stomach as their baby kicked. "That feels so surreal."_

"_You almost spoiled the sex for me."_

"_I know you know. You moved the envelope the ultrasound technician gave us with the baby's gender."_

"_Nothing gets by you, Nate."_

"_Should we tell the team?"_

"_No. I think we'll keep her our little surprise."_

"_If that's what you want, Mrs. Ford." He gave her another kiss before joining everyone in the bar for a reception._

_Eliot handed Nate a glass of soda and Parker handed Sophie a glass of water. "I propose a toast," Maggie lifted her glass. "To Mr. and Mrs. Ford."_

"_Cheers!" Everyone clinked their glasses together._

* * *

**Aww wasn't that nice. A little too long, but really, really nice. Okay, here's the list:**

**Nate: Prince (Eric most likely)**

**Sophie: Ariel/Little Mermaid**

**Eliot: Scuttle**

**Parker: Flounder**

**Hardison: Sebastian**

**Tara: a nice Ursula**

**Sterling: an evil Grimsby, with a hint of Eugene Levy from **_**Splash**_

**Sam the dog: Max (Sam has his own part of the list, he's special)**

**Maggie: a nice Vanessa/Other princess**

**Monica Hunter: Carlotta (I forgot about her, and kinda wanted to use her)**

**Chaos: Chef Louie (yes Maggie didn't know him, so I adjusted that)**

**Father Paul: priest (in the video of **_**Little Mermaid**_**, the priest totally had a boner btw…I found that funny)**

**There were various references to the Disney version, and the original fairy tale, but you gotta admit it was mostly Disney. Also, the real king of the sea was Neptune, not Triton, so I adjusted that.**

**I liked this one, though it took forever. It was extremely helpful to write after everything that's been going on. Let's hope you liked this as much as I did. We've got two chapters to go. Thanks for stickin' with me.**


	8. Chaos' Fantasy

**Okay, this one was is the trickiest of them all to write for. Notice, the other fantasies have been turned into popular movies on more than one occasion; this one…not so much. Granted there was a **_**Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child**_** one with Denzel Washington and a **_**Faerie Tale Theatre**_** version featuring Tattoo from **_**Fantasy Island**_** (hint, hint), the version that would most likely be remembered is the one 80's movie version and I barely saw once and I didn't like it that much.**

**There are also other things to consider in the story. I mean, how do you take different versions and put your own spin on them while making sure other key points people know are in the fantasy. I remember my other grandma had a book version of this and that one I knew about first. So I was surprised when I saw different variations of certain things in the story (I'll get into specifics at the end because some of you may have the same viewpoints) unlike the one in the book. Plus, there are spelling issues too.**

**Not to mention the person who's fantasy this is; I went back and forth on this one and in the end, I went with the one I ended up choosing. Though you coulda gotten a play on name if I had used Sterling, but it seemed better to go with the other guy. I also had to worry about how to set up the 'real-world' part before/after the fantasy but that wasn't as big as whose fantasy it should be and how should they tell it.**

**I subtly mentioned this fairy tale in the prologue when Parker was talking and in this long intro, but now I'm moving on. Here's Chaos' fantasy.**

* * *

"_Get in there!" A guard shoved Jimmy Ford into a cell, slammed the cell shut, and walked off._

_Jimmy shook it off. "No way to treat your elders," He made himself comfortable on the bottom bunk._

"_Whatcha in for?" His roommate on the top bunk asked._

"_To keep a long story short I did things I the past, paid my debts to society, and all that jazz. Then I had a run-in with my son."_

"_He turned you in?"_

"_Made me go to another country. Of course I had to come back, tie up some loose ends, but somehow he found me. What are you in for?"_

"_What am I not in for? Attempted murder, theft, hacking government officials on more than one occasion, I robbed a bank and almost got away with it if it wasn't for them."_

"_Them who?"_

"_You don't know 'em."_

_Jimmy shrugged it off. "Name's Jimmy."_

"_Nice to meet you Jimmy," His cellmate climbed down to the bottom bunk and shook his hands. "Call me Chaos."_

_The next day, Nate helped a very pregnant Sophie out of the car. "Honestly Nate, why do I have to be here?"_

"_I know you don't want to be," Nate led her inside the prison. "But I have to at least talk to the guy see why he came back." He turned to a guard. "I'm here to see Jimmy Ford."_

"_That doesn't explain why I have to come with you."_

"_The doctor said you're due any day now and I don't want to be too far away from you if anything happens."_

_Sophie rolled her eyes. "Clingy, Nate, very clingy."_

"_I like to think of it as being protective. Besides if anything does happen, prisons usually have a hospital."_

"_I never did care for your jokes."_

"_No one does." Nate sat at a prison phone booth and picked up a phone when a guard sat down. "Yeah, Jimmy Ford please. And could you ask one of your guards to get my wife a chair or something?"_

"_You care too much."_

"_You say that like it's a bad thing."_

_One of the guards put a chair beside Nate. "Here you go ma'am," He and Nate helped Sophie sit down._

"_Thank you," she thanked the guard as he left. "I'm not saying you caring is a bad thing, I do appreciate it," Sophie focused her attention to her husband. "But are you going to care just as much as you do now when I'm not a huge whale?"_

_Nate couldn't help letting out a small chuckle. "For the thousandth time you're not a huge whale. And yes, I will care when you're no longer carrying our child."_

"_Thank you darling."_

_Nate kissed her hand. "Just think, soon we'll have ourselves a new baby."_

"_Ourselves? Nate, do you know how hard it will be to be by ourselves with our baby knowing the way the team is?"_

"_Well…maybe we'll give them the dog."_

"_You will not! Correct me if I'm wrong, but he was a birthday present for me."_

"_Yes, but correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't our daughter a birthday present for me?"_

"_No, she was just conceived on your birthday."_

"_You didn't get me anything on my birthday anyway."_

"_You didn't ask for anything!"_

"_I'm hard to shop for."_

_Sophie rolled her eyes. "Like I haven't heard that one before."_

_Jimmy tapped on the glass window. Nate sighed as he picked up the phone. "Hello, Dad."_

"_Nathan," Jimmy looked over to Sophie. "I see you brought a lady friend. That one can't be Maggie. Who's this one, that Emily girl you liked?"_

"_Why did you come back, Dad?"_

"_I have my reasons. How did you find me?"_

"_I have my ways. I'm the only one who can help you Dad. I can get you out of here."_

"_No need."_

"_What?"_

"_I like it here. It's not that bad of a place, I've made myself some friends and I've been here less than a day. It's not like this is a maximum security prison; criminals come here when they're awaiting trial or another prison's too full. That's one of the reasons my cellmate, who is a worse criminal than I am, is here. He's being transferred in two days to a maximum security prison, wish him luck. Good guy." Father and Son were silent for a few moments. "You're not going to ask me how my exile was?"_

_Nate sighed. "How was it?"_

"_Horrible, one of the worst years of my life. Damn boat didn't go to Ireland after all. How are things on your front?"_

"_Good. Things have been busy, but it's all good."_

"_A lot of people here seem to know you. How many of these guys are here because of you?"_

"_Who's to say? You really don't mind staying here? You did time before and you told me when I met up with you in the organized crime division that you're not going back to prison."_

"_I went to prison for no reason. Then you put me on that boat and I had the worst year of my life. It was so awful that I actually missed prison! This time I have a reason and I'm here for something I did, I didn't take any more falls for anybody. And if I get out, I'm staying here. I'm not going to let my son kick me out of my town again. As far as I'm concerned this place is paradise; wouldn't mind spending the rest of my life here."_

"_I'm sure that can be arranged." _

"_Let's go, Ford," a guard standing behind Jimmy made a gesture for them to wrap up their conversation._

"_You plannin' on visiting anytime soon?" Jimmy asked his son._

"_I'll be back next month." Nate replied._

"_Next month?"_

"_I'll be sure to bring pictures of your granddaughter."_

"_Granddaughter?" Jimmy gave him a confused look. "Is there something you're not telling me Nathan?"_

"_Bye Dad," Nate hung up the phone. Nate stood up and turned to Sophie. "Ready to go?"_

"_Can we stop and get something to eat?" she asked._

"_I think that can be arranged. Come on," he helped his wife up out of her chair. "What are you in the mood for?"_

"_I could kill for some chicken."_

_Jimmy watched this through the window with a smile on his face. "I'll be damned." He got out of his seat and was led back to his cell._

"_How'd it go?" Chaos inquired when Jimmy got back._

"_As good as can be expected, I suppose. Brought his, uh, wife with him; I noticed they both had wedding bands on their fingers so I assume they're married to each other."_

"_Were you able to convince him to let you stay here?"_

_Jimmy nodded. "Look if somethin' happens and you're still here next month you really oughta meet him. He's a ruthless son a bitch like you."_

"_Pass."_

"_He'll be bringing in pictures of my granddaughter next month."_

"_And that's good?"_

"_Ever since my grandson died, and I was told almost two years after it happened, I wanted another grandchild that I knew about and could spoil, like any grandparent would do. Then I remembered I didn't even know about my grandson until he was five years old. Even then I was still in prison and couldn't see him."_

"_Don't you have other kids?"_

"_No, no, just Nathan."_

"_Nathan? I hate that name."_

"_Why?"_

"_Two words; Nathan Ford." Jimmy began laughing. "What? What's so funny?"_

"_How do you know Nathan Ford?"_

"_Nathan Ford is the reason I'm here, him and his crew."_

"_Crew? I've heard him say he's got people; the people must be his crew. Whose he got working for him?"_

"_Some of the best criminals ever. Eliot Spencer, he's the muscle. Parker, she's the world's greatest, and sexiest thief. Alec Hardison, my second biggest threat, is their resident hacker."_

"_Second biggest threat? I thought you told me hacking was what you were best at?"_

"_It is what I'm best at. Hardison and I are similar, I know what he'll plan to do and I can stop him in his tracks. It's Sophie Devereaux I can't stop."_

"_Sophie Devereaux?"_

"_The team's grifter. She can run a long con, assume any identity, she's great at dialects, and she survive me trying to kill her, hence the attempted murder."_

"_What does she look like?"_

"_Brown hair, brown eyes, I'd say she's in her early 40's. You know her?"_

"_I do now."_

"_She must've grifted you."_

"_No, but I'm pretty sure she's grifted my son or somethin'."_

"_Wait, how do you know Nathan Ford?"_

_Jimmy shook his hand. "How ya doin'? Name's Jimmy Ford."_

"_Nathan Ford's father," Chaos smiled. "I've heard nothing but positive things about you and what you've done. Took the fall for three families and survived prison."_

"_We'll talk about survival when you go to the Middle East."_

"_Middle East?"_

"_My son ran me out of my own town and put me on a ship that was supposed to go to Ireland. Ship got off course, wound up stuck in the Middle East for a year. Can't tell ya how much I've missed prison."_

"_Going back to something you said; you said you have a granddaughter."_

"_I didn't say I have a granddaughter. I said my son was bringing pictures of my granddaughter next month. It was made obvious today that she's not quite here yet."_

"_Nathan Ford has a wife and a baby on the way?" Chaos began thinking. "You made it clear you just met Sophie Devereaux, who you think grifted your son, and your son is Nathan Ford, and Nathan has a pregnant wife, and he brought his pregnant wife here."_

"_Putting the pieces of the puzzle together there Chaos?"_

_Chaos began sinisterly chuckling. "Nathan Ford knocked up Sophie Devereaux? What a difference a year makes."_

_The book mobile rolled by. "You guys want something to read?" The lady asked._

_Chaos went up to the cell. "Whatcha got?"_

"_Fairy Tales."_

"_What?"_

"_The books on the book mobile are donated, most of the donators have children, or were once children so..." The lady sighed. "Look, this cell block was last on the route schedule. The semi decent books, if any, are gone. Do you want to read something or not?"_

"_When's the next time you're coming around?"_

"_You know how this works; I come around twice a week, Wednesdays and Sundays. This is the second time, so I'll be back on Wednesday."_

"_I'll be out of here by Wednesday."_

"_Then I suggest you get your last book from the book mobile. As a way of saying goodbye, I'll give you two. Here's a giant book of fairy tales, and…the complete screenplay to Woody Allen's _Hannah and her Sisters_."_

"_I'll take that one!" Jimmy gestured for the book._

"_Then," the lady picked up another book, "more fairy tales."_

_Chaos examined the collections of fairy tales. "Oh come on! These aren't even the Grimm Brothers' versions."_

"_We have to deem the appropriateness of the books, Grimm Brothers were deemed inappropriate. I'll be back for the books on Wednesday."_

_Chaos threw the books on the floor in a fit of rage. "Do they think this is a prison for children or something?"_

"_Oh come on Chaos, have a heart," Jimmy handed him one of the books. "It's always nice to revisit childhood nostalgia."_

"_My childhood sucked!"_

"_Just read the damn books, it'll give ya somethin' to do."_

_Chaos opened the book. "Everything in this book eventually became a Disney movie! _Snow White_, _Sleeping Beauty_, _Robin Hood_, Rumpel-this one's not a Disney movie."_

"_Rumpel?" Jimmy gave Chaos a look of confusion._

"Rumpelstiltskin_. I don't remember this one."_

"_It's the one about the angry midget and the miller's daughter. My niece used to like it."_

"_Niece?"_

"_She's a little older than Nathan and last I heard she had six kids and got fat."_

"_Bummer." Chaos got the other fairy tale book. "_Rumpelstiltskin's_ in here too."_

"_Let me know which version you like best, I've heard and seen at least three different versions, I'm sure those two are bound to be different."_

_Chaos began to read the story. "This guy isn't half bad. I'd like to be able to do what he does. I'd take the credit though."_

"_Please keep your thoughts to yourself," Jimmy was trying to read the screenplay. "Why haven't I seen this movie? Hey, have you seen _Hannah and her Sisters_?"_

"_Nope," Chaos kept his eyes on his book._

"_I tell ya, reading this is makes me think up a movie in my head. If they didn't mention the cast in the beginning, I could imagine whoever I wanted in whatever roll I chose. Hell, maybe I'd create a roll for my friends."_

"_That's great, Jimmy."_

"_You know, I'm sure you and I can convince the guard to let us watch this movie, maybe even the movie to that fairy tale you're reading."_

_Chaos stopped reading. "They have a movie to this?"_

"_Saw it on TV at three in the morning once. Movie had a blackbird and a mute servant girl, and the miller's daughter was played by the woman from _Yentl_."_

"_Barbra Streisand?"_

"_No, the curly haired one who was also in _Carrie_."_

"_Amy Irving, the first Mrs. Steven Spielberg."_

"_How do you know that?"_

"_I've hacked celebrity information a couple of times." Chaos went back to his story. "Pfft! I'd-a killed her."_

"_Amy Irving?"_

"_No, the miller's daughter. Sorry, I went back to reading."_

"_Don't read and think out loud. Please try to keep your thoughts to yourself." Jimmy went back to his reading._

"_Done!" Chaos acquired the other book with the same story._

"_Fast reader, huh?"_

"_Yeah," Chaos kept his eyes on that story. "Oh, that is different." Chaos was quiet for another two minutes. "Done!"_

"_Already?"_

"_Yeah. In both versions this Rumpelstiltskin guy is dumb enough to say his own name out loud and let the whiny bimbo take credit for something awesome that he did. Hey, since I doubt I'll get to see the movie version, why don't you tell me what you remember from it? You know, for comparing and contrasting purposes."_

_Jimmy put down his book. "I guess, considering I can't read my book." He began to tell Chaos about the Amy Irving version. "And then there's the other crappy one with the woman from _The Shining_," Jimmy concluded, "but that was an 80's TV show."_

"_What do you know about that one?"_

"_The midget was Tattoo from _Fantasy _Island, and the miller's daughter married the king and had a son."_

"_Not the prince?"_

"_Nope, the king."_

"_I gotta get more info on this," Chaos went over to the guard outside his cell. "Is the study room open?"_

"_What now, Chaos?" The guard questioned._

"_I wanna go there for research purposes."_

"_You said that the last time, and the last time we let you on the computer you hacked the white house."_

"_This time I mean it."_

"_If you want research get a book." The guard pulled out a walkie talkie. "Yeah, can you bring the book mobile back around? Wait, never mind I see her in this cell block." He went over to where the book mobile was and came back to Chaos and Jimmy's cell. "What kinda research do you need Chaos?"_

"_I need all the fairy tale books, and any individual books you can find on _Rumplestiltskin_." The guard stood there. "Now!"_

"_You ever hear of the word please?"_

"_Now, please! While you're looking, what do you know about the story?"_

"_It's about an angry midget. In one all black cartoon version I saw he was Jamaican."_

"_What else do you remember from that version?"_

"_The king was a greedy bastard voiced by Denzel Washington."_

"_Really? Wow, I'll have to hack that one when I get outta prison."_

"_What the hell's wrong with you? You're acting like a five year old," the guard searched the cart and picked up four more books. "Here ya go, Chaos. Now leave me alone."_

_Chaos looked at the books. "Whoa, in this one his name is spelled with a 'z'!"_

_Jimmy groaned in annoyance. "That damn book mobile never shoulda came around."_

_Chaos opened an individual book. "Hey, the miller's daughter has a name in this one!"_

"_Chaos please shut up."_

"_Does Rumpelstiltskin talk in verse in every version because it's getting kind of annoying reading different rhymes? And does anyone else find out about this guy because-"_

"_Chaos!"_

"_Fine, I can take a hint."_

_Jimmy went back to reading. "I don't think I can see Dianne Wiest as Holly."_

"_Playing the script in your head?"_

"_Yep. I don't know who Lloyd Nolan is, so I picture someone else I know as his character. I can see Tom Skerritt as the father now that the man's old." _

_Chaos was reading his story. "Keep your thoughts to yourself, it gets annoying." As Chaos finished up the last version of his new favorite fairy tale, he began to think about what Jimmy was saying about picturing the story in your head._

**…**

Chaos' fantasy couldn't be set in the modern day setting considering the versions he had learned were all in magical, kingdom, usual fairy tale settings. He first centered his fantasy on a cottage isolated at the end of a kingdom. Sophie was in the doorway sweeping dust out of the house when Hardison came walking up to her. "Any luck?"

"No," Hardison handed her the money he had made at his merchant job. "I just can't compete with that new Dooley guy. He sells everything I sell, but he makes more money 'cause his peddlin' stand draws more attention than mine."

"We'll get some money somehow," Sophie assured. "If worst comes to worst I'll pawn some of Daddy's treasures."

Hardison put his hand on her shoulder. "I miss him too, he was a nice guy. Any guy would've thrown my orphaned ass on the street, but he took me in. I tell ya, I never met a man who loved his kid more than your dad."

"Remember all the wild stories he used to tell about me?"

"'My daughter is the most beautiful of all maidens in any kingdom'," Hardison mocked her father to make her laugh and it seemed to be working, "'My daughter will marry a prince and become queen someday'."

"He seemed very adamant on that one."

"Oh, and the one that almost got him in serious trouble, 'My daughter can spin straw into gold'."

Sophie laughed. "I don't think anyone or anything can do something like that. I prepared some of that bread from yesterday, so we're having bread again tonight."

"Yum can't wait," Hardison rolled his eyes.

"I know, I wish we had more food too."

"I ain't really complainin', you are the best cook I've ever met, your dad was right about that. But if he was right about you marrying a prince, promise me that I get to come live with you."

Sophie giggled. "I promise."

…

King James overlooked his royal bill and all the royal debts he owed. "How am I going to pay all this off?" There was a knock on his door. "What?"

Eliot entered the room. "Sir, a messenger's here."

"What does he want?"

"Baron Sterling is coming tomorrow to collect his debt."

"Damn! Have you collected all of the taxes?"

"Yeah, and the people can't afford to pay anymore since you doubled the taxes. I was right about foolishly spending all your gold for castle renovations and your own selfish benefit."

"That's not entirely true; I did use some of that gold to send my son to that university of higher learning."

"College?"

"Is that what they're calling it these days?" Jimmy began to think. "Nathan is coming home tomorrow, right?"

"Yessir."

"We should throw another ball in honor of his homecoming."

"How would we do that without any gold?"

"Oh yeah. We'll just have to invite over all the eligible, rich princesses."

"They're all married."

"Oh yeah." Jimmy began thinking. "Nathan has money, right?"

"No, Your Majesty."

"I am so screwed."

…

Hardison stood at his merchant stand watching the people flock to Evan Dooley's stand. "What does Dooley got that I ain't got?" Hardison took a better look and noticed a beautiful, Italian looking woman standing beside Dooley's stand. "That's what he's got. So that's how he does it."

"Hardison!" Dooley flaunted his money at his competition. "Don't you just love the way the money tickles your palms? Oh, that's right…you don't have any money." Dooley began to laugh uncontrollably.

"Yeah, go ahead and laugh yourself into a coma."

The Italian woman went over to Hardison's stand. "I do like that," she pointed to a blanket. "I admired it from afar. Where did you get it?"

"That? Oh, it's handmade."

"You made that?"

"No, no, my…my, uh…sister made that."

"I'll buy it," she handed Hardison a piece of silver.

When she left, more people went over to Hardison's stand wanting to purchase some of Sophie's original fabrics. "Hey Dooley!" Hardison called to his opponent. "Don't you just love the way the money tickles your palms?" Hardison laughed. "I am eatin' tonight, baby!"

"Who made this beautiful blanket?" A villager inquired as she paid for a blanket.

"Y'all know the miller's daughter, Sophie? The girl is talented. She can cook, she can sew, she can sing, and she's smart. Woman is mal-tie talented," he sounded out the word 'multi'. "Heck I bet if you sat her at a spinnin' wheel she could spin straw into gold or somethin'."

"No one can do that," Dooley was in disbelief.

"I bet she can."

"Wow, wait til my friend hears about this," the villager ran off to find her friend. She found that friend and told her, who told another friend, who told more people, who had people eavesdropping on their conversation, and in less than ten minutes, Sophie being able to spin straw into gold was the talk of the kingdom.

"Aw man," Hardison had a mini panic attack and began hyperventilating. "No, this is just town gossip. It'll die down before any higher power hears about this." Hardison gulped. "God willing."

…

Nate Ford was riding a white horse near the edge of the kingdom. "Crap," he looked around, "I'm officially lost." He continued to ride in the same direction. "Whoa!" He stopped the horse when he heard something coming in another direction. "Come on, boy, this way." Nate followed the sound.

Sophie was singing to herself as she did laundry. As Nate got closer, he realized that her singing was the unfamiliar noise. He got off his horse and headed over toward her.

"_Lonely rivers flow to the sea_

_To the sea_

_To the open arms_

_Of the sea_

_Lonely rivers sigh wait for me_

_Wait for me_

_I'll be coming home_

_Wait for me_

_Oh, my love_

_My darling"_

"Excuse me!" Nate interrupted her song.

Startled, Sophie gasped when she turned around. "Oh, hello."

"I'm lost. I was wondering if my horse and I could rest here for a moment."

"Of course." Nate whistled for his horse to come to him. The horse obeyed. Sophie was impressed. "How did you do that?"

"Trained him myself. I taught the same thing to my dog."

Sophie moved closer to the horse to admire him. "Such a beautiful creature."

"Do you want to ride him?"

"Oh no, he doesn't belong to me. And I've never ridden a horse before."

"I don't mind letting you ride him, that's why my father bought him, for transportation and showmanship. But I think he could use a drink first."

"Of course," Sophie ran into the kitchen, took out a bucket, and filled it with water. She then promptly returned to Nate and his horse. "Here you are." Sophie set the bucket in front of the horse. "Would you like something to drink…sir?"

"Nate, call me Nate."

"Nate. My name is Sophie."

"Sophie, that's very pretty."

"Thank you."

"Sure, I could use a glass of water."

"Would you like to come inside?"

"Sure." Nate followed her into her cottage. "You live here alone?"

"No, my friend and I live here. Hardison's an orphan my father took in and raised. Hardison is working right now but if you want to meet him, he'll return later." Sophie took a glass from a shelf and headed to the water faucet.

"Where's your father?"

"He died a few years ago."

"Sorry to hear that. I wish I could say the same for my father."

"That's not a very nice thing to say."

"My father's not really a very nice man."

"Irregardless, he's still your father," Sophie handed Nate his glass of water.

"Thank you. I know he is, but he's a greedy…jerk. I'm sure by now he's squandered all of our money on useless junk like he usually does." Nate took a drink. "You want to go for that ride now?"

"Well…I suppose."

Nate led her back to his horse. "I'll help you up," he lifted her onto his horse before seating himself behind her. "Ready?"

"I changed my mind."

"Too late to turn back now." Nate took the reins on the horse, and then they were off.

"Oh God! Oh God! Oh God!" Sophie clutched her necklace as she and Nate rode into the forest. "Can you slow down?"

Nate pulled back the reins to stop the horse. "You okay?"

"That was so petrifying."

"But it was fun, you gotta admit."

"There was some exhilaration mixed with anxiety."

"You have a nice vocabulary."

"Thank you. Can you take me back home now, slowly?"

"Here," he helped her down, "why don't we walk?"

"That sounds safe." Sophie began fiddling with a ring on her right hand.

Nate took notice of this habit as he guided his horse back toward Sophie's home. "That's a nice looking ring."

"This? It was my mother's. My father spent his very first earnings on this ring for my mother, a woman he fell in love with at first sight."

"What about that necklace that you were clinging onto?"

"Also my mother's, except it was given to her by her father, who died when she was quite young. It was her father's mother's necklace."

"It frames your neck beautifully."

"Thank you."

"Thanks for the hospitality. I should get going, but I don't know how to get back to town."

"Oh, you go in that direction. There's a row of cottages a mile away, and then there's a thin, dirt road that leads you to town. It's tricky to spot, but it's to your right."

"That seems convenient. Listen, if I ever get lost around these parts again, I'll come back here and see you."

"Well, I'll prepare myself for that."

Nate kissed her cheek before getting onto his horse. "Goodbye, Sophie."

"Goodbye, Nate." She watched as Nate rode off, her hand holding onto the cheek he kissed.

…

As the day progressed, Hardison seemed to have forgotten what he accidentally said about Sophie; he seemed more focused on flaunting his money at Evan Dooley. And when a well-to-do looking man rode by on a black horse, he caught the attention of the two competitors.

"Baron Sterling," Dooley made his way in front of the baron. "I'm local shop proprietor Evan Dooley, this is my lovely assistant," he gestured for the Italian to step closer to him. "Might I interest you in some curios or fabrics today?"

"Out of my way merchant," Sterling ordered.

Hardison stepped in front of Sterling. "You wouldn't want his stolen merchandise anyway. Everything I sell is homemade."

"You started selling that crap today!" Dooley pointed out.

"Would you two gentlemen kindly move out of my way before I trample you?" Sterling seemed to be in a foul mood.

"Your Baron-ness," Dooley wouldn't budge. "Might I interest you in my mistress? You can buy her if you'd like. She knows how to cook, and sew," Dooley held up the blanket she bought from Hardison. "Voila!"

"That is a unique piece of fabric. You made that ma'am?"

"Aw Hell no!" Hardison objected. "His mistress bought that blanket from my stand. I also have a lady friend at home who can genuinely cook, sew, and speak proper English!"

"She can also spin straw into gold," the Italian added.

"Impossible," Sterling glared at Hardison. "You must prove it to me; take me to your dwelling."

"Yee-ah, my 'dwelling' isn't really presentable for your…Baron-ness."

"If you don't take me to see this woman, I will have you killed."

"But I'm sure his Baron-ness will find it suitable for a nice dinner, that I would like to buy as my last meal," Hardison whispered the last part of his statement.

"What was the last thing you said?"

"I'd like to buy a meal…for you coming to visit, and I'd like to buy it fast."

…

Approaching hooves got Sophie excited. Hoping it was the stranger she met earlier, she was a bit dismayed to find Hardison riding on a black horse with Baron Sterling. "Hardison?"

"Hey, Sophie," Hardison got off of the horse. "Remember how you suggested I sell some of your handmade stuff?"

"No? Did you steal my stuff and sell it?"

Hardison nervously chuckled at the Baron. "She's also funny." Hardison handed her a piece of meat. "People loved what you made, and I made a profit. Can you cook this in a half hour for our guest?" Sophie gave him a strange look as she went into the kitchen. "Would you like a tour of the mill?"

"I don't care to visit, or to have dinner with you," Sterling denied, "I want proof of her gift."

"I did say one of her gifts was cooking, she's an excellent cook."

"If you lied to an official, you could be locked in a dungeon for the rest of your life, or killed. Neither one is a pleasant choice are they?"

"No, sir." Hardison led Sterling into the house. "Wait in our…parlor area," Hardison pointed to a worn out couch and a chair near a bookshelf. He ran into the kitchen. "You think you can hurry up with that?"

"Hardison, you-"

"-I got us both in some serious trouble."

"What did you do?"

"When someone asked who made all the stuff I sold, I told them you did. I kinda bragged about you being able to cook, sew, sing, and…being smart. Then as a joke, I said you could…"

"Could what?"

"Spin straw into gold?"

"What?"

"When I tried to sell the Baron something, Dooley offered to sell him his mistress. You came up again, and his mistress told the baron you could spin straw into gold. The Baron's only here for proof, or he'll kill me."

"Hardison!"

"I'm-a goin' to Hell!" Hardison began crying.

"Why did you-"

"I don't know! I was so sick of Dooley besting me and I had the chance to be better. Woman I don't think before I speak!"

"Sorry for intruding," Sterling had entered the kitchen. "I have to be off and one of you is coming with me. Let me see the proof."

Hardison noticed Sophie clasp onto her necklace in anxiety. "This necklace!"

"What?"

Hardison took off Sophie's necklace and handed it to Sterling. "This purely gold necklace."

Sterling examined the necklace. "You made this from straw?"

Hardison looked at Sophie with pleading eyes. Sophie had no other alternative. "Yes, sir."

The Baron handed the necklace back to her. "Hurry up with your meal. Afterwards, you will accompany me to the castle."

"The castle?"

"The king must hear about this."

"I get to go to, right?" Hardison inquired.

"If you value your life, I suggest you stay here."

"It's 'cause I'm black, isn't it?"

…

King James was in his den banging his head against his desk in defeat. The knocking at the door stopped him. "What now?"

Nate entered his father's den. "I'm back."

"Nathan, son, good to see you. How was your education at the university of higher learning?"

"College was fine, Dad."

"And did you meet any rich maidens?"

Nate took some gold coins out of his pocket and handed it to Jimmy. "No, but I did make some money."

"This is not going to please the Baron when he returns. I also need to pay off other people."

"Eliot told me about you raising the taxes."

"I lowered them to their original state. The last thing I need is a revolution."

"I guess that's a good thing."

"What does it matter? Either way I'm a dead man!"

"What?" Jimmy handed Nate a letter. "It's from the king of O'Hare."

"There's also letters from the kings at Donnelly and McTeague all threatening to kill me."

"Wow, Dad, you are not good with money." Nate read the letter. "The king is very descriptive on how he's going to kill you."

"How does King Nathan sound to you?"

"Oh no! No! Dad, we talked about this. I don't want to become king until you retire, not die."

"You're the prince! You're next in line for the throne! My one regret as king is that I'm not going to live to see my first grandchild."

Nate rolled his eyes. "I'm sure you'll be able to pay off your debts. You just gotta hope for a miracle."

"Hope for a miracle?" Jimmy pounded his fists on his desk. "I am the king! I don't hope for miracles; I demand them!" Another knock at the door. "WHAT?"

Eliot cautiously opened the door. "Baron Sterling is here with a new deal."

"A new deal?" Eliot shrugged. "Send him in. Nathan, would you mind giving the Baron and me some privacy?"

"I'll see you later, Dad." As Nate left his father's den, something, or someone caught his eye. "Sophie?"

Sophie was standing beside Sterling. "Nate?"

"Come on," Sterling forced her inside the king's den and slammed the door behind him.

"You know her Your Highness?" Eliot asked the prince.

"You saw her too?" Nate questioned.

"Yeah."

"Okay, so I'm not going crazy. What is she doing here?"

"I have no idea."

…

"And by giving me all of the gold, we'll close our account." Sterling concluded.

"And what if she doesn't do what she claims she can do, though I'm not saying she can't do it?" Jimmy questioned.

"Do whatever you want to her. If _you_ don't deliver the gold to me, _you_ die."

"I have other debts too, Sterling."

"I don't care. I want all the gold she spins and I'll leave you alone. And I want it before I leave tomorrow morning."

"Fair enough." Jimmy rang a bell, and Eliot entered the room. "Eliot, gather whatever straw you can find here at the castle and take it to the room at the end of the hall." Eliot nodded and left. Jimmy turned to Sophie. "I'm sorry to put this pressure on you honey, but I'm in serious need. If you succeed, I'll spare your life. If you fail...I have no other alternative but to kill you for lying to royalty, the same thing will happen to your friend. Besides, I don't think we have enough straw around the castle. I hope you won't be up all night, we've got a lovely breakfast planned for tomorrow."

"We're ready sir," Eliot entered the room.

"See, that didn't take too long." Jimmy led Sophie to the end of the hall. The floor of the small room was completely covered with straw, in the center of the room stood a spinning wheel. "Hmm, less than I thought. Well my dear, we'll be back in the morning."

"You're not going to stay in here with me?" Sophie asked.

"My dear, I'm the king. I have better, more kingly things to do. Good luck." Jimmy left and locked the door.

Sophie fell to the floor and began sobbing. "It's hopeless. No one can do something like this!" She tried to regain composure. "Well, it wouldn't hurt to try." Sophie picked up some straw and attempted to do what she was asked to avail. Somehow, she managed to prick herself on the spindle. "It's no use." She threw the straw to the side in defeat and continued to sob.

"You've questioned the use of trying; so now you sit here crying."

Sophie looked up. "Who's there?" She looked around. "Show yourself, please."

A diminutive man who bore a resemblance to Chaos stepped out from the shadows. "Look, I hate doing the verse thing, do you want my help or not?"

Sophie backed away in shock. "Who are you?"

"That's not important. You've gotten yourself in a tight spot. I can help get you out of it."

"How?"

"I can spin straw into gold."

"You can?"

"Yeah, it's easy. You hand me the straw, I spin it to gold. I'll have it done by morning, no problem."

"Alright." Sophie handed him straw, but he didn't take it. "What's the matter?"

"I don't work for free, naturally I have a fee." Chaos stomped his foot. "Damn verse sneaks up ya sometimes. I hate whenever I have to make up rhymes. Dammit! What do you have to give me?"

"I don't have anything."

Chaos looked at her necklace. "I like that necklace. That real gold?"

"Yes."

"It'll do."

"No! It's very special to me."

"Wow, gold and sentimental value; two for the price of one. My deal is, if I don't work for money, I take something of value from the customer. You value that necklace, don't you?"

"Yes?"

"More than your life?" Sophie sighed and handed him the necklace. "Good girl. Now you can start handing me the straw."

Sophie did as she was instructed as Chaos did what he promised to due. True to his word, and much to Sophie's amazement, the little man was able to spin straw into gold. Chaos noticed Sophie yawning. "Not much of a night owl, are you? Scoop the rest of the straw over to me and go rest."

"Oh, thank you."

"And stop being so polite, its kinda weirdin' me out."

…

Jimmy and Sterling opened the door the next morning to find Sophie sleeping on one of the few piles of gold. "We'll I'll be damned," Jimmy looked around in amazement.

"Consider our account closed," Sterling went over to the gold. "I must admit, I had my doubts, but now."

Sophie began to stir. She awoke to find the Baron and the King in the small room. "Is this adequate enough, Your Majesty?"

"I am very pleased with you. Come on, you look famished, I have a nice breakfast planned." Jimmy led her to the dining room where he offered her a seat beside his enormous chair. "My son will be joining us in a moment. I'd like you to meet my assistant and bodyguard, Eliot." Eliot, who was standing beside the chair, merely nodded. The king looked to his side. "And this young maid is Parker," Parker turned around and curtseyed. "She'll tend to your needs while you stay here."

"I don't mean to sound ungrateful, Your Majesty, but when can I go home?"

"Soon, my dear, soon. I just need you to stay here for another night."

"Why?"

"To work your magic. You see, I'm in a great deal of debt to other kingdoms, and I don't want to raise the taxes to this great kingdom to pay off the other kingdoms. It wouldn't be enough anyway. Not only do I risk my life by not paying the debts, I risk the lives of my citizens, you included. We can't have that can we?"

Sophie sighed. "No your majesty."

"Tell you what, we'll send for you friend to arrive tomorrow morning to greet you and partake in a grand breakfast for another job well done."

"If the job is done," Eliot reminded.

"Eliot, are you saying you don't trust…what's your name again?"

As Sophie prepared to answer, someone else's voice took the words right out of her mouth. "Sophie." She turned to see Nate enter the dining room and sit next to his father, and across from her.

"Nathan, do you know this woman?"

"We were acquainted yesterday. What are you doing here, Sophie?"

"Sophie," the king was going to answer for her, "is the answer to our problems; she's the miracle I demanded."

"Dad?"

"Don't worry about anything Nathan. Just show our guest some hospitality, maybe take her riding around the kingdom, introduce her to that mutt of yours, I don't care what you do. Just don't worry about why she's here."

"I don't trust you Dad."

"You don't have to trust me, trust her. You know what, I'm going to my study; serve me my breakfast there." King James left with Eliot following.

"Remember what I said about my father being a jerk?"

Sophie laughed at what the prince said. "He seems like a nice man."

"Why are you so polite? The man is a jerk, and that's that."

"I suppose. You didn't tell me you were the prince when I met you."

"It didn't come up in conversation. Well, as the prince, I am second in command"

"Oh."

"And I command you to accompany me on a tour of my castle and meet the royal dog."

Sophie giggled. "Well, I must obey a royal command."

…

After spending the day with the prince, Sophie was led to a bigger room as the day came to an end. The room had double the amount of straw and filled the entire room.

"I brought you in here earlier than last night because I need this to be done by morning, and there is a bit more than last night. However, this time I thought you might want some company, so I arranged for the royal canine to stay here with you tonight." The king whistled and Sam the dog ran into the room. "I thought I'd see if he would be a distraction or not. Well, I best be off. Good luck." Jimmy left and locked the door.

Sophie went over to the spinning wheel in the center of the room. Sam followed her and put his paw on her lap. "Even if you did cause a distraction I'd still never get this done by morning. Can you keep a secret?" Sam wagged his tail as if he understood. "I didn't spin the straw into gold the first time." Sam tilted his head in confusion. "I don't know how."

"Oh, but I do." When Chaos stepped out of the shadows, Sam began to growl. "I see you've got company."

"Oh please, I need your help again."

"What do you have tonight, the dog?" Sam began to angrily bark at him.

Sophie shushed the dog. "No, he isn't mine."

Chaos noticed her ring. "I do like that ring."

"Oh no! No! This is the last thing I have of my mother and father."

"Do you value it more than your life?"

Sophie sighed and surrendered the ring to the little man. "Ruby, nice. July birthday?" Sophie nodded. "Me too. Alright, bring me the straw, and I'll have all of this done by morning."

Sophie began pilling the straw as Chaos effortlessly spun it into gold. She kneeled to Sam's level. "You cannot tell anyone, promise." Sam offered his paw for her to shake. "Good boy."

…

Jimmy was more than satisfied when he entered the room the next morning. "Bravo, Sophie, I'm impressed."

Sophie curtseyed. "Thank you, Your Majesty."

"You know, I was talking to my son last night; you've seem to have made quite an impression on him."

"Have I?"

"Oh yes. And I feel that for all of your hard work, you deserve a reward. We'll discuss the terms later. Until then, I promised you your friend and he's waiting for you in the throne room."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

"You're so polite."

…

Sophie spent another day not only with Hardison, but with the prince. He took them on a ride through the kingdom and a picnic at the beach. Once they returned at sundown, Sophie was lead to a much bigger room with more than triple the amount of straw.

"More debts, Your Majesty?" Hardison looked at the straw.

"This is for my own benefit. The first two times, not so much." Jimmy turned to Sophie. "I have decided to let your friend and my maid Parker assist you tonight. I want all of this done by morning. If you succeed, you will marry my son, and I'll let your friend live here in the castle."

"Hallelujah!" Hardison cheered.

"If you fail…you both die." Jimmy waited for Parker to enter the room before leaving. "Good luck," he locked the door.

"So," Parker wasn't much for conversation, "what do we do?"

"Yeah, girl," Hardison looked at Sophie, "how did you spin that straw into gold."

Sophie sat on the straw covered ground. "I didn't."

"Well then you must've done a real good job faking it," Parker commented.

"A strange little man spun the straw for me."

"What strange little man?"

"He comes in during the night, and disappears by morning."

"And he did all that for free?"

"For free?" Chaos stepped into the open, "no siree, not me. I always charge a small fee. Damn verses again!"

"This guy did all that?" Hardison questioned.

"Who are you people?"

"They were sent in to help me," Sophie answered. "This is the last night, I promise."

"Alright, whaddya got tonight?"

"I don't have anything. Maybe Hardison and Parker have-"

"No, I do this job for you, not them. _You_ have to give me something."

"I don't have anything. I gave you my necklace! I gave you my ring! What else is there for me to give you?"

Chaos thought about this. "Did I hear correctly when the king said you would marry his son?" Sophie nodded. "This would make you a princess."

"No duh, Captain Obvious!" Parker sarcastically said to him.

Chaos eyed her. "Ooh, I like girls with attitude. Tell me baby, is there anything you need me to do? I'm sure we can work something out."

"I need you to help my new friend!"

"I take that as a no." Chaos turned to Sophie. "If the king does keep his promise, you will marry the prince and become princess, and eventually queen."

"And if I do, you can have anything you want," Sophie assured.

"Tell you what, if I do this one last job, you will give me…"

"What? Money? Jewelry? What?"

"Your first born child." Chaos' offer resulted in a surprised look from Sophie.

"Soph," Hardison tried to dissuade her, "think this one through carefully."

"Don't do it," Parker blankly stated, "I don't trust him."

"I wouldn't trust me either," Chaos said. "But if you do that, you live, and so do your annoying friends. Besides, you'll probably have more children. It's not like I'll eat it or anything, I get really lonely sometimes. Plus I have tons of magic, and no one to teach it to. And I promise, that will be the last you ever hear from me."

"Sophie don't!"

Sophie looked at Chaos. "I promise I'll give you my first born child."

Chaos smiled. "Excellent. You goons hand me the straw, okay."

"Goons?" Hardison questioned what Chaos said. "I knew I didn't like you when you popped outta nowhere."

"I suggest you don't talk; you're one of the reasons I'm here in the first place big mouth."

As the two men became engaged in an argument, Parker went over to Sophie, who was sitting on a pile of straw. "You gonna be okay?"

"I don't know. Sometimes I wish I never met him, but then I would have been dead."

"No, the prince likes you. He would've came to your rescue. I would have too."

"Thank you," Sophie hugged her new friend. "And who's to say I'll even have a baby, I might not be able to."

"That would be a bad thing?"

"He wouldn't come back, that's for sure. Oh, promise me you'll tell the king that I did this. I don't know what he'd do if he found out I didn't do what I was told."

"That's your problem. You do what you're told and don't stand up for yourself. Girl you need to get angry!"

"Please, Parker."

"Oh…why do you have to be so polite? Okay, I won't tell."

…

King James was way more than satisfied when he opened the door and stepped into the room. Thankfully, Eliot came into the room and caught the king before he fainted.

When Eliot dragged the king out, the prince entered the room. "Whoa! Pop wasn't kidding when he said you could do that."

"And she did do it," Parker added. "We saw."

"The woman is mal-tie talented," Hardison sounded out the word 'multi'.

Nate smiled at his new bride-to-be. "You never cease to amaze me Sophie. If my father wasn't forcing you to marry me, I'd get down on one knee and ask you myself."

"So why don't you?" Parker questioned.

"Could you please butt out, Parker?"

"It would be more romantic."

"I agree," Hardison agreed.

Sophie came to her friends' defenses. "They mean well. You don't have to do that unless you want to."

"Alright." Nate got down on one knee. "Sophie, will you marry me?"

"I will; on one condition."

"Name it."

"Promise me that I never have to see another spinning wheel ever again."

"Done." Nate kissed her hand.

…

As time went on it seemed as though Sophie had forgotten about the strange little man as she settled into marriage, and eventually motherhood. Still she, Parker, Hardison, and even Sam had managed to keep the little man a secret. At times, in her dreams, the strange little man would even appear and she would sometimes make herself sick worrying about him. Plus keeping the secret was causing enormous guilt and stress to her, so much so that she went into early labor.

Nate stood outside the room pacing. "Why can't I go in there? Parker gets to go in there, but I can't."

"It's not a man's place to be in there," Eliot answered as he played cards with Hardison. "Got any threes?"

Hardison slid a card to Eliot as the men listened to Sophie scream. "I wouldn't want to be in there if I was a woman anyway," Hardison commented.

"Got any sixes?" Eliot inquired.

Hardison slid another card to Eliot. "Can you see my cards or somethin' man?"

"I dunno; got any nines?" Hardison slid another card to Eliot as Eliot laughed.

Then men stopped what they were doing when they heard crying. Parker stepped out of the room. "Wow that was brutal."

"Is Sophie okay?" Nate questioned. "What about the baby?"

"Go on in there Nate, it's okay." Parker and the guys watched as Nate cautiously entered the room.

"How's Sophie doin'?" Eliot asked.

"As good as can be expected after going through that."

"Don't keep us in suspense, what do we got?" Hardison curiously questioned.

"We got ourselves a girl!"

"Alright!" Hardison gestured for Eliot to give him money.

"Next time, we bet on Go Fish."

"Hey Parker, who does she look like?"

"Like Sophie, but she has Nate's eyes," Parker sat down next to Hardison. "She's healthy too, so that's good."

"Does she have a name?"

"Not yet. Hey Eliot, could you go get us some wine to celebrate?"

"Sure," Eliot left.

"I'm really scared," Parker whispered to Hardison.

"Yeah, me too," Hardison looked her in the eyes. "You think that midget's coming back?"

"He can't take the baby, he just can't!"

"If he does, we can say the baby died and I'm sure they'll have another one."

"No, Hardison you don't understand. Sophie made herself so sick that she can't have any more children."

…

Three days had passed and Sophie was able to get out of bed to take care of her daughter. Every time she looked at her daughter, the little man moved further and further from her mind. Parker and Hardison seemed to have forgotten about him too…until he showed up to collect his reward. "Remember me?"

Sophie clutched her daughter close to her as Hardison and Parker came to her defense. "Go away!"

"Not without what's rightfully mine."

"I change my mind. You can have anything you want except my baby."

"Remember our discussion about sentimental value. You value that baby more than anything; I only want what you want the most."

"Back off!" Hardison ordered.

"Who's gonna make me? You? You're a scrawny weakling who's afraid to hurt a fly."

"You are so lucky Eliot's not here or you'd be dead!"

"Hmm, big muscly man vs. midget with unlimited magic; who would win?"

"The magic midget," Parker answered.

"Woman, do you know what a rhetorical question is?" Hardison inquired.

"You just can't take away the baby you…magic man you. She doesn't have a name yet!"

"I'll give her one. How do you feel about the name Gisella?" Chaos joked.

"You're not taking my daughter away unless I get a chance to fight for her!" Sophie stood up for herself.

Chaos glared at her. "Fair enough. I'll give you three days to guess my name. If you get it, which I highly doubt, you get to keep your kid. Your three days begin now."

"Now?"

"Now is not my name. Oh yeah I almost forgot, only _you_ can guess my name or else the deal is null and void, I get to claim my reward. Go on Your Highness, get to guessing."

Sophie began naming off every name she could think of. None of them were right. "Do I at least get a hint?"

"No. I have somewhere else to be, I'll be back tomorrow, and then on day three. DAMMIT!" Chaos disappeared.

"He really doesn't like rhyming," Parker observed.

Sophie sat down in her rocking chair as her friends surrounded her. "What am I going to do? I can't lose my baby."

"He didn't say we couldn't help you," Hardison reminded.

"And we will help you," Parker assured.

"I still think we should get Eliot in here to kick his ass."

"Eliot?" Sophie began to think. "We should get his help."

"Shouldn't we tell Nate?" Parker suggested. "I mean, it's his baby too."

"No, he's got enough to deal with preparing to be king; I don't want to give him more to deal with. Go ask Eliot to help us."

…

When Chaos returned the next day, Eliot tried to resist the urge to kick his ass, but he just couldn't. As Parker correctly predicted, the magical midget was a better fighter than the muscly man. At the end of the second day, Chaos still came out victorious.

"It's getting late. I'll be back tomorrow by sunset to claim what's rightfully mine. Oh, enjoy the rain," when he left, rain began pouring outside.

Parker helped Eliot get on his feet. "You're right, he's good," Eliot struggled to catch his breath. "You sure you went through every book with names in the castle?"

"Positive," Sophie sulked into the rocking chair. "It's hopeless."

"Why don't you tell Nate what's going on?"

"Eliot, I—"

"You know you gotta."

"What if he's furious with me?"

"Nate furious with you? Sophie, the man would never get mad at you."

"Telling Nate is the best option," Hardison inputted. "And he's a very smart prince, he might actually think of something better than any ideas we came up with."

"Yeah, tell Nate," Parker agreed.

"Tell Nate what?" Nate was standing in the doorway.

"Why are you standing in the doorway?"

"We've been looking for you all, it's time to eat." Nate noticed his wife in the chair and went over to her. "You okay?"

"I did something terrible, and you're going to hate me."

"What did you do?" Sophie broke down as she told her story to Nate. She was pleasantly shocked by his reaction. "Why didn't you tell me this earlier?"

"I was afraid to, I guess. Nate, what are we going to do?"

"You are going to relax. The rest of you are going out to look for him."

"In this weather?" Hardison questioned.

"Yeah. If you don't find him, find some of the strangest names you can think of, make some up if you have to. Go and get something to eat and then get out of here." Nate helped Sophie out of the chair and wiped away her tears. "I don't know why you would ever think I'd hate you."

"I'm so sorry I never told you about him. He's just unbeatable. Eliot tried to find his weakness, but he just doesn't have one."

"Everyone has a weakness. Why don't you get something to eat and get some sleep and we'll try this again tomorrow."

…

When the final day came, the four (five counting Nate) of them were in the same situation as before. Even after spending all night searching, Parker, Eliot, and Hardison had nothing.

Realizing that she just couldn't defeat him, Sophie went outside to talk a walk, gather her thoughts, and try to find the little man's weakness. "Whenever Jimmy wanted a miracle, he demanded one and he got one. Well I need a miracle dammit and I better get one!" Sophie stomped her foot in anger. "I suppose I better get back." As she headed for the castle, she noticed a green fire in the distance. Naturally curious, she examined it.

Chaos was roasting marshmallows. "Marshmallows are delicious and yummy and food for my tummy. DAMMIT! I meant stomach! I hate verses! Better make sure I give my new daughter a name that can't rhyme with anything. Might as well name her orange. 'Hi I'm Chaos and this is my daughter Orange'. No too stupid. I'll stick with Gisella."

Sophie slyly smiled to herself as she went back to the castle.

…

The others were waiting in the nursery for the magic stranger, and Sophie wasn't there. "Where is she?" Parker was impatient.

"I'm sure wherever she is, she's…" Eliot couldn't finish. "I have no idea where she is or what she's doing."

"I hope that guy didn't get her."

"Guys, it's Sophie. She'll be okay," Nate assured as he rocked his daughter's cradle.

"How do you know?"

"I…I don't."

"How assuring," Hardison commented. Hardison perked up his ears. "You guys hear humming?"

Sophie was coming down the halls humming a song to herself. She seemed to be in some sort of daze, even unaware of the dog that was following her. "Hello, everyone." Sophie scooped up her daughter from the cradle. "I see he's not back yet."

"Soph, are you okay?" Eliot raised an eyebrow in skepticism.

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"Um because some evil midget is going to snatch up your baby if you don't guess his name," Hardison responded.

"And you've tried every name," Parker added.

"Have I?"

"Honey, are you sure you're okay?" Nate had some sense of worry in his inquiry.

"Fine."

Chaos appeared at the window. "How nice, it's a family reunion." Sam growled ferociously at him. "Ah, I remember you. You got fat."

"Hello, again."

"Alright, I've been more than lenient. Give me what's rightfully mine."

"I've still got a few chances to guess your name, haven't I?"

"Make it fast."

"Is it…Pat?"

"You already guessed that. I MEAN NO! Damn verses!"

"Hmm…is it…Lou?"

"You guessed that one too. DAMMIT!"

"Sophie, what are you doing?" Eliot questioned.

"Have I tried Mike or Ike?" Sophie continued.

"You've tried each of those twice. Did that rhyme?" Chaos asked.

"Kinda," Parker answered him.

"Oh well," Sophie shrugged.

"Uh, Soph, what are you-"

Sophie handed the baby back to her father and stepped closer to Chaos. "You've had your run; you've had your fun. But you've put us all through Hell, and now I can tell this rhyming is driving you insane. You're questioning what I'm doing, or if there's trouble brewing. For I have beaten you at your own game" Sophie came face to face with him. "Chaos is your name."

Chaos became furious. "No one knows my name! Nobody! NOBODY!" Sophie backed away to Nate as Chaos angrily stomped around the room. During his stomping, thunder boomed and the window shattered into pieces. He had stomped so hard, he opened up a hole in the floor that sucked him down to Hell. When it was all over, everything was back to normal.

"Is it me, or was that kinda cool?" Parker asked.

"There's somethin' wrong with you," Eliot snarled at her.

"That actually was kinda cool," Hardison agreed. "I hope it never happens again, but it was kinda cool."

"Is everybody alright?" Sophie asked.

"I think so," Nate looked at the damage. "No one got any broken glass in their eyes or anything?" They shook their heads.

"Is the baby okay?"

"Yeah, she's fine."

Sophie took her daughter back. "I was so afraid I'd lose you." She kissed her forehead, "but you're mine forever, and no one's going to take you away from me."

"You didn't promise to give her away to any other strange beings did you?"

Sophie laughed. "Unless there's something you're not telling me."

Nate kissed his wife. "Speaking of names, we still have to give one to our daughter."

"I vote for Parker!" Parker raised her hand.

"Let's worry about names tomorrow," Sophie suggested. "I think I've had my fill of names for a while anyway."

**…**

"_AW COME ON!" Chaos' shouting freaked Jimmy out. "Even in my fantasy they still beat me!"_

"_Everything alright there Chaos?"_

"_I hate your son and his crew!"_

"_Good to know." Jimmy went back to reading._

_Meanwhile, Jimmy's son and his crew were sitting at their headquarters discussing names. _

"_It'd be helpful to know if we're gonna have us a boy or girl," Hardison looked at Nate._

_Nate, who was stretched out on the sofa with his wife on his side only shrugged. "Why don't you think of unisex names?"_

"_I vote for Parker!" Parker raised her hand._

"_No, Parker."_

"_One Parker is bad enough," Eliot muttered._

"_I suggest the name Alexander for a boy and Alexandria for a girl," Hardison smiled._

"_That is pretty," Sophie agreed. _

"_We're not naming the baby after you Hardison," Nate caught on to Hardison's plan._

"_Y'all don't even call me by my first name anyway," Hardison lamented._

"_What do you suggest Eliot?" Sophie asked._

"_Unisex wise; Avery, Bailey, Dakota, Jamie, McKenzie, Peyton, Riley, or Taylor." The gang stared at him. "What? Those were names my sister considered when she was pregnant. I woulda suggested Casey, but that's my nephew's name." _

"_I'm amazed you went off alphabetically," Hardison commented._

"_We also want to avoid using any of our aliases for names," Sophie informed them._

"_That's gonna pose a challenge."_

"_Why don't we all worry about this some other time," Nate suggested. "It's getting late and I want to try to squeeze in some alone time with my wife."_

_Parker's face fell._ "_But I wanna-"_

"_Come on Parker, let's go see a movie or somethin'," Eliot suggested._

"_Can I come too?" Hardison asked._

"_Whatever." Eliot closed the door behind him._

"_I forgot Eliot had a nephew," Sophie said to her husband "He did suggest some nice names though."_

"_Why won't you consider using some of your aliases? Most of them had nice names."_

"_I know. But they all had their own identity. I decided to let Sophie become my only identity, and I know when I go back to grifting, I may have to make up more. Coming up with names is hard for a grift, but a permanent name is the worst."_

"_What about naming her after a family member? I know you have an Aunt Emily."_

"_But you used to like a girl named Emily. Can't use that name now can we?"_

"_Can we not focus on names now? I do want to spend some time with you alone."_

"_I can't really do much."_

"_I know. I was thinking we could watch a movie, or…watch TV."_

"_Didn't think that one through Nate?"_

"_What do you feel like watching?"_

"_You pick something, I really don't care."_

"The Exorcist_ it is."_

"_Nate?"_

"_Alright, alright, I'll put in something else. How about a 70's _Oscar _winning classic like _Rocky_, or _The Godfather, _I feel like watching_ The Deer Hunter_ for some reason."_

"_Let's watch _Cabaret_."_

"_Seriously?"_

"_Seriously. It's a 70's _Oscar _winner. How many did it win?"_

"_Eight."_

"_Compared to _The Godfather_?"_

"_Well at least _Godfather_ won Best Picture."_

"_Nate, please put in _Cabaret_."_

_Nate groaned. "That stupid beginning song always gets stuck in my head."_

"_Oh shut up, you wanted a 70's _Oscar _winning classic."_

"_I suggested _The Exorcist_. When are we gonna get another chance to watch it?"_

"_When we're cooped up in the house with a baby and we can't sleep."_

"_That was a rhetorical question."_

"_Just put the movie in so you can come back and cuddle with me."_

"_Bossy this evening aren't we?" Nate went over to his movie shelf. The rest of the team came back to the apartment. "Movie over?"_

"_We woulda left if someone wasn't playing with the E.M.P," Hardison looked at Parker._

"_You shouldn't have left it in your van!" Parker replied._

"_We're gonna be up here for another half hour," Eliot made himself comfortable in the chair. "Why don't you pop in something with some action?"_

"_Not with the baby here! Put in a happy, kid friendly movie."_

"_The baby's not here yet!"_

"_May I suggest some sci-fi?" Hardison inputted._

"_What about a combination of all three?" Parker suggested._

"_None of our combos exist," Eliot told her._

"_Yeah, I'm sure one does," Hardison thought._

"_Doesn't!"_

"_Man, do you know how many movies there are in existence?"_

_Nate rolled his eyes to Sophie as the other three began fighting. "_Toy Story _it is." He put in the movie and joined his wife on the couch. "So much for alone time."_

"_You know you like it when they visit," Sophie smiled. "And when they get into a full blown argument, they don't pay attention to the movie anyway." Sophie slapped him. "You should've put in _Cabaret_!"_

"_Shoulda, woulda, coulda, but didn't."_

"_God I hope the baby has my sense of humor."_

"_So long as it has my brains," Nate kissed his wife's forehead and brushed her hair back, "and looks like you."_

"_I can't wait to find out who the baby looks like."_

_Nate put his hands on her stomach. "Not much longer."_

* * *

**It seems as though these chapters get longer, and longer. Okay here's what's sure to be a long list:**

**Nate: Prince**

**Sophie: Miller's Daughter**

**Eliot: basically works for the king**

**Parker: kinda like the little girl from the **_**Canon**_** version with Amy Irving, but I made her talk and I made her…Parker-like**

**Hardison: the miller, but I changed the miller to a Hardison type**

**Chaos: Rumpelstiltskin, Rumplestiltskin, Rumplestiltzkin, Rumpelstiltzkin, there were different ways to spell it, take your pick**

**Jimmy Ford: The greedy king (I had to get him to meet Chaos)**

**Sterling: in the **_**Timeless Tales from Hallmark**_** which is the book I first read (and apparently was a TV show w/ Olivia Newton John…I watched it on YouTube) the Baron was first told about the miller's daughter's "gift" and then the baron told the king. And I know they never met, but pretend Sterling tried to capture Chaos at one point.**

**Evan Dooley (**_**Ho-Ho-Ho Job**_**): in the **_**HEAFTFEC**_** version, the miller was a merchant whose competition offered 3 daughters to the king…Dooley's the competition who offered his mistress (who I chose as the Italian for no apparent reason)**

**Nate meeting Sophie before going to the castle is most likely the **_**Canon **_**version where he's going home, but hears her singing and wants to meet her**

**The name Chaos suggests (Gisella) was the name of the miller's daughter in the **_**Hallmark Version**_**. That version also had the miller's daughter marry the prince and have a girl**

**I used different elements from those four different versions, but I couldn't have him speaking in rhyme all the time because A) verses are hard to come up with and B) Tattoo as Rumpelstiltskin didn't use verses either.**

**Oh, the song Sophie was singing was **_**Unchained Melody**_** most likely the Righteous Bros. version.**

**Okay, I have a special treat. I did plan on stopping after one last chapter (nine), but I changed my mind. Why? ****I don't really like odd numbered chapters, I prefer even numbered. And t****he idea actually went very well when I planned it out, and works as the LAST chapter**

**And I can't tell you another reason without spoiling what's coming next.**

**Shameless plug: **_**Hannah and her Sisters**_** is Woody Allen at his best in my opinion, and Dianne Wiest won a much deserved **_**Oscar **_**for her role as Holly.**

**Oh, and watch Leverage too; new episodes in June and there's an internet rumor that season 3 comes to DVD on June 7****th****, but I can't be sure.**


	9. Nate's Fantasies

**Confirmed: Season 3 comes out June 7****th****! Season 4 starts June 26****th****. I is excited!**

**This one I had originally planned to be the last chapter, but then I said I'd do another chapter because A) I prefer numbered chapters and B) My new idea worked better as the last chapter.**

**Mini spoiler: The setup for this one didn't involve a Nate "fairy tale" fantasy, and still doesn't. And (don't hate me) I didn't give him a fairy tale because I didn't think one suited him. Then I remembered another fairy tale I used to love but forgot about. It's one of those forgettable ones, but I found a way to put a Leverage twist on it. But it works as the last chapter like I said. And it will be a different characters' fantasy.**

**So what do I have planned for Nate in this one? Oh, you'll see.**

* * *

_Parker fidgeted in her seat while being forced to wait. "Why can't we go in there?"_

"_For the thousandth time Parker, it's not our kid!" Eliot was getting more impatient with Parker as the minutes passed. "Read a magazine or somethin', you're drivin' me crazy."_

_Tara kept her eyes glued to a fashion magazine she was reading. "We've only been here for an hour, and we could leave any time we want. Nate and Sophie have been in there for what eight hours?"_

"_Just about."_

"_And he didn't tell you this til an hour ago?" Parker had not been informed of this._

"_No he told us eight hours ago."_

_Tara looked up at Eliot. "Eliot! You weren't supposed to tell her."_

"_You knew too?" Parker questioned._

"_He said to wait until it got closer. Knowing you, you would've been waiting in here from the beginning."_

"_Maybe they would've let me go in there with them." _

"_Doubtful." Tara looked around. "Where's Hardison?"_

"_He better not be in there with them!"_

"_Last I heard, Hardison's tied up with something," Eliot replied._

"_Tied up?" Tara raised an eyebrow. "As in hostage situation?"_

"_It's his code for he's too busy playing World of Warcraft to get his ass over here. He used that same wording one time, and I when I went to help him he was makin' popcorn."_

"_Ah," she went back to reading her magazine. "So what's the bet?"_

"_Hundred bucks."_

_Parker looked confused. "Bet?_

"_Eliot and Hardison placed a bet on what kind of baby Sophie's having," Tara explained._

"_I bet Hardison a hundred bucks it's a girl," Eliot told Parker. "You can tell by the way she's carrying, it's a sure fire bet."_

"_How about you Tara?" Parker inquired. "Did you bet?"_

"_Nope."_

"_You know what they're having, don't you?"_

"_No, I just don't like betting on whether or not someone's baby is male or female. Just enjoy the fact that a baby's being born. Betting is gambling, and I'm trying to cut down on gambling."_

"_You used to gamble?"_

"_Used to? I've had to considerably cut down on gambling."_

"_I brought Slurpees!" Hardison appeared carrying four Slurpees. "Anything yet?"_

"_Not since we got the last message."_

"_It's been what seven hours?"_

"_Eight," Eliot corrected._

"_You knew too?" Parker was upset._

"_Parker, they didn't mean anything bad," Hardison tried to comfort her, "Sophie knew if you were told early on you would've waited here all day."_

"_Yeah, and?" Hardison raised his eyebrow. "I wouldn't have stolen anything!" Tara and Eliot gave her skeptical looks as well. "Anything important. I wasn't doing anything fun anyway."_

"_What were you doing for the last eight hours anyway?"_

_Parker thought about what she had done: She had been informed it was a day off. Bored as can be, she wandered around the streets of Boston stealing whatever she could get her hands on. Sneaking into a few museums, she managed to take some priceless artifacts in less than ten minutes. Parker also stole some nice jewelry from seven different jewelry stores. Heck, she stole a teddy bear as a present for the new team member._

_She came back to reality. "Nothing."_

_Tara shrugged it off as she went back to her magazine. "Ooh, a history of fashion." She put magazine in her purse. "I'll read it later." Parker smiled at her. "What, I'm a theif too."_

_Eliot took a drink of his Slurpee and spat it out. "Dammit Hardison, what the hell?"_

_Hardison looked at him confused. "What?"_

"_I asked for a Mountain Dew Slurpee!"_

"_You did not. You asked me to bring you a Slurpee. No specifics."_

"_Parker got a Mountain Dew Slurpee!"_

"_Parker likes a Mountain Dew Slurpee."_

"_Here," Parker gave him her Slurpee. She then took Tara's Slurpee and replaced it with Eliot's._

"_Excuse you." Tara took back her Slurpee and handed Eliot's Slurpee to Hardison. "Stop taking my stuff, Parker."_

"_Ain't no way I'm getting Eliot's backwash." Hardison gave Eliot's Slurpee back to Eliot._

"_I barely took a drink!" Eliot gave his Slurpee back to Parker. "Can we not turn this into an argument?"_

"_Okay." Parker snatched up all four Slurpees and dumped them into the nearest hospital plant. "Problem solved."_

"_What the hell Parker?"_

"_You owe me ten bucks," Hardison seriously said to Parker._

"_You guys didn't want to argue," Parker reminded. "I don't think we should either."_

"_Especially over frozen drinks," Tara agreed. "Let's just go to the vending machines and get some snacks." Tara reached into her purse. "Anyone got change for a twenty."_

_Parker pulled a bunch of singles out of her pocket. "You can never be sure when you need singles. Do vending machines carry Slurpees?"_

"_I'm not saying anything," Tara headed for the vending machines. Parker shrugged and followed her._

"_How did you know Parker likes Mountain Dew Slurpees?" Eliot slyly asked Hardison._

"_Don't imply anything, I remember her saying she liked them Slurpees," Hardison defended._

"_Yeah, when? 'Cause I don't remember her saying that around us." Eliot laughed his way to the vending machines as Hardison followed trying to convince Eliot that nothing was going on between him and Parker._

_Nate made his way into the waiting area and didn't find anybody there. He did notice Slurpee cups in the trash. "Vending machines," he said to himself. He sat down in a seat near where Tara sat and used a newspaper to block his face._

_When the four came back, they didn't seem to notice the man with the newspaper. "How long does it usually take to have a baby?" Parker directed this to Eliot._

"_Why are you asking me this?" Eliot questioned back._

"_You got a nephew," Hardison reminded._

"_You do?" Tara didn't know about Eliot's nephew._

"_My sister's kid Casey," Eliot explained. "He turned four in March. Parker assumes just because I have a nephew, I know how long it takes for a baby to be born. Given Casey's birth and this one, I'd say an estimate six to twelve hours to have a baby, maybe more."_

_Tara tilted her head and smiled. "You know a lot about things I wouldn't expect you to know a lot of."_

"_I like to be well-versed in different areas."_

"_Were you in there with your sister when Casey was born?"_

"_Only 'cause her husband wasn't there for her."_

"_That's what I like about Nate," Parker randomly changed the subject, "he's there for Sophie, he really loves her."_

"_He's there for us too," Hardison added, "like he's our dad."_

"_I prefer to think of him as a brother-in-law," Tara told her viewpoint._

"_This kid's like a miracle for him after he lost his first one," Eliot softly stated._

"_You still think it's a girl?"_

"_I know it's a girl."_

"_You can never be too sure," Hardison interjected. "Nate and Sophie are full of surprises and even though a girl seems obvious, it could be a boy."_

"_That's actually good logic," Parker commented. "But only Nate and Sophie know."_

"_Then let's ask him," Tara turned her head. "Nate?"_

"_No estoy Nate," Nate spoke Spanish and didn't take the newspaper down._

"_Buen intento Nate," Tara understood Spanish._

"_Se trata de un niño o una niña?" Parker __also __understood __Spanish and had excitement in her tone._

"_Are y'all speaking Spanish or somethin'?" Hardison felt neglected._

"_Usted no sabe hablar español?" Eliot __inquired__with__ a __hint__ of __sarcasm__._

"_This __is __just __plain cold."_

"_So?" Parker was on edge with excitement. "__Niño o niña?"_

_Nate__took a deep breath and put the paper down. "It's a girl."_

_Parker squealed with delight, Eliot laughed with excitement, Hardison 'whooed', and Tara had a huge smile on her face._

"_Can we go see her?"_

"_You've waited long enough I think…yeah, go ahead."_

_Parker immediately jumped up and ran to find Sophie's room. Hardison and Eliot didn't follow as quickly, but they had just as much excitement._

_Tara decided to walk with Nate. "Does she have a name?"_

"_Gracie."_

"_Gracie?"_

"_Gracie Elizabeth Ford."_

"_I like it. But how'd you come up with the name Gracie?"_

"_Well, we knew Grace had to be part of her name. Grace Logue was my mother, but Grace has also been an alias of Sophie, as did most of the other names. But when she was born, she looked like a cross between Sophie, me, and oddly enough Grace Logue-Ford. So I found a loophole and turned Grace into Gracie as a way to honor both my mother, and my daughter's mother."_

"_Elizabeth has been an alias of Sophie too you know."_

"_No one really uses their middle name anyway. Soph didn't care whether or not we used an alias; she just wanted a middle name that went with Gracie."_

"_How's Sophie?"_

"_Fine, exhausted, happy, and totally enamored with the baby."_

"_And you're sure it's yours?" Nate rolled his eyes and playfully shoved Tara._

_As the week went by, it was obvious Gracie looked more like her mother, but personality wise it was hard to tell. Some days she had a calm and quiet personality, other days not so much. And since the team rarely left Nate and Sophie's apartment, it seemed possible that Gracie could pick up personality traits from them as well._

_But Parker did agree Gracie liked having stories told to her. She came out of the newly built nursery and joined the guys on the sofa. "It's official, she likes fairy tales."_

_Nate groaned, Eliot rolled his eyes, and Hardison shook his head. "How do you know this, Parker?" Hardison questioned._

"'_Cause I told her a fairy tale and she wanted until I was done to fall asleep. What's wrong with her liking a fairy tale? As long as she knows they're make believe." Parker sat next to Nate. "I adjusted the fairy tale so that Gracie's mommy and daddy were the prince and princess."_

"_I did that too," Hardison got funny looks. "'Cept I made mine more modern."_

"_Okay I'm not gonna lie, I did that too," Eliot admitted._

"_I don't know if I made this clear, but I wanted to avoid telling my child fairy tales," Nate was still upset._

"_Why?" Parker was dismayed._

"_If you tell a child a fairy tale with a happy ending, they're most likely going to grow up with a preconceived notion the world is full of magic and happy endings and that they are, or will marry, a prince or princess. They'll also assume that the bad guy can be defeated. Riddle me this; did all of your stories end happy and the bad guy was defeated?" No response. "I thought so."_

"_You don't have to be so mean. Little girls love fairy tales."_

"_Yeah, and they can be taught they're make believe," Eliot reminded._

"_She's only a week old Nate," Hardison reminded, "I don't really think it matters anyway."_

"_She's a baby Nate, treat her like a baby."_

"_I think you're afraid to tell her fairy tales," Parker sounded serious, "because of Sam."_

_Nate got off of the couch and went upstairs. "Why'd you tell him that Parker?" Eliot had gruffness in his tone._

"_He has to accept the truth. He's afraid to raise her the way he raised Sam because he's afraid the same thing will happen, and he'll lose everything again."_

"_I heard them Nate," Sophie was sitting up in their bed when Nate entered their room. "Parker is right." He sat down beside her and she rubbed his back. "I wish you would've told me this so I didn't hear it from someone else."_

"_You know my dad disapproved of my mother telling me fairy tales?"_

"_No I didn't."_

"_I didn't tell Sam fairy tales either. I told him real stories; he seemed to enjoy those more anyway. Maggie told him the fairy tales."_

"_So you stick to the real stories, and the rest of us will tell the make believe stories."_

"_I don't know why we started telling her stories this young anyway."_

"_I think Parker started it."_

"_Ah."_

"_I told Gracie a fairy tale too."_

"_Did you?"_

"_I thought I was the only one who replaced the characters with actual people we knew. I feel better knowing I'm not the only one."_

"_Tara's done this too, I assume?"_

"_I think so. Telling stories actually does help Gracie get to sleep. She's heard stories from everyone but her daddy. Next time you put her to sleep, try it. Also, you need to pay more attention to Sam." As if on cue, Sam entered the room and laid at Nate's feet. "He misses your daily walks."_

"_Come here mutt," Nate gestured for Sam to get up on the bed beside him. "You want too much attention, but we can't give it to you now. You might not like the new baby now, but you will eventually." Sam licked his hand. "I don't think he gets it yet."_

"_Nate, why don't you go check on Gracie and I'll stick with Sam."_

"_Parker came out of her room and said she was sleeping."_

_A noise came over the baby monitor on the table beside them. "Sleeping, huh?"_

"_It's like they know the right moment to mess with us."_

"_Why don't you bring her back in here and let her sleep with us? We'll get some alone time with her and we'll be sleeping at the same time."_

"_Well when you put it that way…" Sophie let out a small chuckle when Nate said that. "I'll be back."_

"_I'll be here." Sophie watched her husband leave. She reached over to her side table and began reading a magazine Tara had left behind the last time she visited. "What's this?" Sophie began reading a History of Fashion. "I do like that medieval dress." Sophie laid the magazine down in front of Sam and turned the page. "Which one do you like?" Sam's paw covered a picture of a woman dressed in 1940's fashion. "I like her hair but that outfit doesn't work for me. Lipstick is a bit too much, don't you think?" Sam looked up at her. "Well, it was a trend back in that era."_

_Nate entered the room with his daughter in his arms. "Look who's here to see Mommy." He slowly sat on the bed and handed Gracie to her mother. "I couldn't get her to go back to sleep."_

"_Hello darling." Sophie cradled the infant in her arms. "You're wide awake today aren't you? Oh, you just want some attention, don't you?"_

"_Though sleep would also be nice," Nate muttered._

"_It might be easier for her to fall asleep knowing someone is sleeping near her."_

"_I hope that's not a big thing for the future."_

_Gracie began to fuss. "Let's go see Daddy." Sophie passed her over to Nate._

"_Hey you. God you look like your mother."_

"_She has your eyes."_

"_Most babies are born with blue eyes, they'll go away eventually."_

"_Ah-ah, no, hers are staying blue."_

"_Well, we'll see."_

"_Why don't you tell her a story?"_

"_Sophie."_

"_Come on Nate, at least attempt to tell her one. Like I said, she's heard a story from everyone but her dad. Use us in the story if you want she seems to like that."_

"_Sophie, please don't make me do this."_

"_Don't do it for me, Nate. Do it for Gracie…and an opportunity to sleep."_

_Nate groaned. "You're not going to give this up are you?" Sophie shook her head. "Alright, what should I tell her?"_

"_Make something up."_

"_Okay." Nate began to think. "Romances seem to put her to sleep."_

"_Nate!"_

"_From what you all have told me that seems to be true."_

"_You're so incorrigible. Where's the TV Guide?"_

"_Under the…history of fashion magazine."_

"_Oh," Sophie began reading the _TV Guide_. "Ooh, they have a countdown of the best TV romances."_

"_Pass."_

"_No, it sounds entertaining; Ricky and Lucy, Gomez and Morticia, Homer and Marge, just to name a few."_

"_Homer and Marge Simpson?"_

"_I love their romance, and apparently so does _TV Guide_."_

"_You're still going to watch that romance thing aren't you?"_

"_You could learn a lot from TVs best romances."_

"_Yeah, that it's fake love. The costars might not even like, let alone tolerate each other."_

"_You are so pessimistic. Just for your negativity, I'm going to make sure Gracie grows up liking romance."_

_Nate sighed, and then he tilted his head. "You've given me some inspiration Mrs. Ford."_

"_Inspiration for what?"_

"_Remember when Parker and Hardison photoshopped us all in an episode to…some show I can't remember, and then played the scene like we had been a part of that show?"_

"_Yeah, that was nice work. Why'd you bring that up?"_

"_Can you picture us in those types of sitcom romances?"_

"_Can you?"_

_Nate began to think about it. "I can." _

"_How?"_

"_I'm not going to tell you how," Nate looked down at his daughter. "I'm going to tell _you_ how and Mommy can listen if she wants."_

**…**

**Ricky and Lucy Ricardo (**_**I Love Lucy**_**)**

Nate entered an apartment dressed in the style of Ricky Ricardo. "Sophie, I'm home!" He called to his wife.

Sophie, dressed in a polka dot dress and with the typical Lucy hairstyle, greeted her husband with a kiss. "How was your day at the theatre?"

"It was just another day, nothing special. What's for dinner?"

"A surprise." Nate sat down on the couch and pulled out a newspaper. "Nate," Sophie tried to sound romantic and began to rub his back. "I was just wondering if any of the actresses in your new directorial debut production cancelled and you needed to find a short notice replacement."

"For the last time, you are not gonna perform in my show." Sophie began to whine. "Don't make that face, Sophie."

"Oh please! Please let me be in your show!"

"No. Remember the last time you tried to break out into superstardom in that _Vitameatavegamin_ commercial?"

"I didn't know they'd have actual alcohol in it!"

"No, Sophie."

"Please! Please! Please! Please!"

Nate sniffed the air. "Something burning?"

"Hmm?"

"Are you making dinner right now?"

"Uh-huh."

"Did you get distracted by your variety show?"

"Uh-huh."

"And that burning smell is most likely our dinner."

"Uh-huh."

Nate ran into the kitchen, and (once the realization hit her) Sophie followed. He put out the fire with the extinguisher on the kitchen table. Once it was over, he shook the extinguisher. "We need to fill this up again."

Sophie put on a pair of oven mitts and took out what was supposed to be a turkey dinner. She took one look at the burnt meal and did the typical Lucy "Ew." She looked up at Nate. "Turkey surprise?"

Nate began yelling in Spanish, something he usually did whenever his wife made him upset. Why Spanish, none of them knew. He took a few deep breaths when he seemed to be done. "Sophie, what am I going to do with you?"

A quick knock, followed by the opening of the front door made it obvious that their neighbors/landlords/friends were here. Hardison and Parker entered the kitchen. "Hiya Nate," Hardison greeted.

"Ooh Sophie you have to see what I just obtained," Parker led her into the living room where a bag had been thrown onto the couch. She held up a rappel. "You know how Nate's show is supposed to have an angel floating down from Heaven to give direction to the soon-to-be dead comedian played by Hardison?"

"Yes, he casted your husband, and his former girlfriend Maggie in that segment. And the show premieres on my birthday too! There has to be some way for me to get onto that show."

"Well, I know how to work a rappel if you would be the angel."

"Brilliant! But Maggie's the angel, how do we get rid of her?"

"Oh, I'm sure you and I can take care of that."

"I have the perfect idea. Come on; let's go buy another costume. We have to look like that famous director coming to Nate's show tomorrow."

Meanwhile Hardison and Nate were in the kitchen. "I can't thank you enough for helping me out with this surprise show for Sophie," Nate patted Hardison's shoulder. "Remember, tomorrow is her birthday and we have the special surprise planned for her at the very end of the show."

"The surprise where we invite her on stage and sing happy birthday, while that chorus you hired sings that song you wrote about her and she's wearing that sexy new dress you bought her for tomorrow?"

"Yee-ah. Did you remember to tell Parker?"

"If I told Parker she'd tell Sophie, they're best friends, partners in crime; they tell each other everything."

"Right, right, Parker would definitely ruin it for Sophie."

"Tomorrow's the night when that big time director comes to your show?"

"Yeah. I'm secretly hoping he'll see Sophie at the end and cast her in a movie so she'll get her birthday wish. Tomorrow will be a great evening and nothing will go wrong. Tonight, however, we eat dinner at your place."

…

The night of the show, Parker was Sophie's lookout. "Your costume set?"

"It's set." Sophie was supposed be dressed like the famous director coming to Nate's show. "I see Maggie." Sophie made her way to Maggie, who was dressed like an angel. "You're perfect!" She tried to sound like a guy.

"Excuse me?" Maggie was confused.

"I'm big time Hollywood director…you know my name, so it's not important. Listen, I was on my way to the bathroom thinking about my next movie heroine, and I got lost. I noticed you, and you're perfect for the role!"

"I am?"

"You are! I have a limo waiting outside that will take you to Hollywood, you just have to leave right now."

"But...I have to do the show."

"Don't you have an understudy?" Maggie nodded. "You're covered. Go on, your dream is about to come true."

Maggie had a wide smile on her face. "Thank you Mr. Director." She ran outside to where a limo was actually waiting.

Sophie removed her male costume where the angel costume was underneath. "That part is taking care of."

Eliot, the stage manager, made his way to Sophie. "Have you seen a blonde woman dressed as an angel?"

"She was in the bathroom; I think she has a stomach virus."

Eliot groaned. "Okay, what about another blonde woman dressed like an angel? And why are you dressed like an angel?"

"I'm the under-understudy. I know all the lines and everything, and don't worry about the rope not supporting my weight, I brought back up." Parker ran up beside her and smiled.

"You look kinda familiar." Eliot examined Sophie. "But we do need an angel. Get your makeup on and be ready to go." Eliot kept his eyes on his clipboard as he walked past a picture of Sophie with the words 'Do Not Allow Backstage, Onstage, or Near the Stage'.

Parker made sure Sophie was ready for her theatrical debut. "Okay, I'll be holding onto the rope that supports you." Parker moved the rope to the left, and Sophie went in the same direction. "Whatever way I move the rope is the way you move."

"Alright, just don't drop the rope." Sophie took a deep breath and smiled. "Boy is Nate going to be surprised."

…

Nate and Eliot stood amidst the crowd during intermission. "They don't like it," Nate commented. "I heard people snoring."

"Well, I'm sure they'll all enjoy the part with the comedian and the angel. That seems to be the interesting part."

Nate searched the audience. "Huh, I can't find my wife in the crowd. Maybe she's still sitting in her reserved seat near the front of the stage. Why don't you head backstage and I'll keep tabs on the audience."

"Cheer up Nate; it's a great show and your wife will love her birthday surprise."

…

Nate was on pins and needles as Hardison took stage in his scene. Not so much for the scene itself, but for the following surprise where he had to take his spot on stage.

"And if the Lord disagrees, let him send me a sign!" Hardison then pretended to have a heart attack when the lights dimmed. A moment later, he stood up and the set was gone. "What the? Have I died and gone to Heaven?" No response. "I'm-a ask myself again, am I in Heaven?"

"That's my cue!" Sophie loudly whispered.

"Oh!" Parker lowered the rope and Sophie as the angel was able to be seen floating above the stage.

Nate took notice. "Oh crap." He headed backstage.

"Uh..." Hardison had to continue. "Who are you are?"

"I am your angel," Sophie's acting was overly dramatic.

As her bad acting continued, Nate noticed Parker backstage. "Parker!"

"Uh-oh!" Parker looked at the rope. "I can't really run right now, so if you could wait until the end of the scene to chase Sophie, 'cause this was her idea and…well you see where I'm going with this."

"Pull her back!"

"Nate, it's her scene."

"Fine, I'll do it myself." Nate began to pull the rope up, and on stage Sophie began going up.

"Wait til the end!" Parker pulled the rope down, and Sophie began heading down.

Nate and Parker soon became entangled in a rope battle as Sophie went in all directions on the stage.

"Parker!" She called to her friend backstage, but Parker didn't hear.

"Let go of the rope, Parker!" Nate commanded.

"No!" Parker tightly held on.

"Eliot!" Nate gestured for his stage manager to aid him.

"What?" Eliot questioned.

"Get her to let go of the rope."

Eliot went over to Parker and began tickling her. This made Parker let go of the rope in laughter. Eliot began tickling her and she began backing away. While backing away, she tripped over her own two feet and fell back onto Nate, causing him to let go of the rope.

"AHH!" Sophie fell onto the stage floor as the crowd roared with laughter.

Nate, Parker, Hardison, and Eliot ran over to help her up. "You okay?" Parker asked.

"Yes! Yes! I am an angel after all," Sophie continued to overact.

"Give it up Sophie," Nate commanded.

"So...was I good?" Sophie nervously smiled at Nate. Nate began ranting in Spanish. "I take that as a no?"

"Sophie, you've got some explainin' to do."" Nate headed closer to Sophie, but she began to run away, so he began to chase.

Hardison turned to his wife. "Something tells me you're partially responsible." Parker began running and Hardison started chasing her.

Eliot just stood there. "Hey, everybody. Did you all like the show?"

The audience then stood up and gave a standing ovation.

The spouses stopped chasing each other long enough for Nate to take center stage. "Thank you," He pulled Sophie to the center. "Following this scene was supposed to be a surprise for my wife Sophie, but she decided to surprise me, so I don't think she'll get her birthday surprise." Sophie began to do the typical whine. "Don't start this again."

"Excuse me," a woman made her way to the stage. "I'm big time producer Tara Cole and I want to make your play a successful motion picture comedy with your wife as our star!"

"What about the big time Hollywood director?" Hardison inquired.

"Oh he got bored and left. I work with him and we were looking for an idea for a movie and I want to turn this into a comedy."

Sophie screamed with delight. Nate looked at Tara confused. "This is supposed to be a drama," he reminded.

"It would work better as a comedy with Sophie Ford as our star."

"Yay!" Sophie jumped up and down as the audience applauded.

"Uh…show's over folks," Nate informed. "If you could all proceed to the exits." The five on stage watched as everyone left. Nate waited until they were gone and kept his eyes focused on the exit. "I'd like to talk to my wife alone." Eliot, Parker, and Hardison went behind the curtain, but peered their heads out from behind the curtain to see what was happening. "Sophie, start explainin'."

"I'm sorry Nate," she apologized. "I just wanted to be in your show and surprise you."

"Well, you did."

"And you're mad at me?"

Nate turned to his wife. "I could never be mad at you." They kissed each other. "Don't ever do this again."

"I prom…I'll do my best to not to do that."

"I guess that will do. Happy birthday, Sophie."

"Thank you, Nate." They kissed each other again.

**Darrin and Samantha Stephens (**_**Bewitched**_**)**

"Hmm," Sophie examined the living room in the new _Bewitched _style setting. "It's a bit messy." She wiggled her nose and the room magically became clean. "There."

A petite, blonde woman appeared out of nowhere, like magic. "Hello, Sophie."

"Parker, what are you doing here? I asked you not to come tonight. Tonight I have a special dinner planned for Nate and I."

"Going to tell you mortal husband Norville you're expecting a little witch or warlock?"

"Nate, his name is Nate."

"It matters."

Nate entered their house. "Hello Darling," he kissed his wife and looked over at Parker. "Parker."

"Neville."

Nate ignored her. "The house looks beautiful. Did you spend all day cleaning?"

"It didn't take too long," Sophie smiled at her husband.

"You didn't use magic did you? Sophie, how many times have I asked you not to use your magic?"

"I have something special planned for tonight, and I wanted to make it nice for you."

"You know about my client and his partner are coming over for dinner tonight?"

"No."

"Well, my client and his partner are coming over for dinner tonight."

"But Nate, I had something special planned for just the two of us. I have a surprise for you."

"You can tell me over dinner." Nate looked over at Parker. "In which you will not be joining us."

"I know when I'm not wanted Norman," Parker disappeared.

"I don't know if she genuinely doesn't know my name, or if she's doing that just to tick me off." Nate turned to see a sad Sophie. "If it's so important, why don't you tell me now?"

"I'll plan a special dinner for us tomorrow and tell you then," Sophie quietly said. "Why don't you get ready? It will only take me a few seconds to get ready."

As this was going on, nosy neighbor Monica Hunter passed their house while walking her dog. "Think I'll see what the Fords are up to." As she went up to the front door, she noticed Sophie was wearing a pair of sweats and had her hair up. Monica knocked on the door.

Sophie answered wearing a beautiful red dress and black heels, and her hair was down and curled at the bottom. "Oh hello, Monica. Is there something I can do for you?"

Monica did a double take. "But you…I saw you through the window. Weren't you just wearing sweats and had your hair up?"

"No."

"Right." Monica dazed out. "I think I'll go home and take some medicine."

As Sophie watched Monica leave, she heard a thumping noise from the den. "Oh no, not Tara." Sophie ran to the den where Tara was on the floor in front of the fireplace. "Tara!"

"I told you I was coming today," Tara stood up. "I was coming to help you perfect the statue spell today."

"Tara, not tonight."

Parker magically appeared. "Hey, if Tara gets to stay here, I do too."

"None of you are staying here!"

"Okay, I promise I'll leave after I show you how to do the spell," Tara promised.

"Make it quick."

"Okay," Tara prepared herself. "Oh man, I forgot." She began to think. "Got it!" She snapped her fingers, pointed, and a golden retriever appeared in the center of the room. "Oops, I confused spells again."

"Aww," Parker smiled at the dog. "He's cute."

"Okay, I'll get him to disappear." This time, the dog turned into a statue. "That's the statue spell."

Parker reversed the spell. "Don't do that to the dog. Why don't I make him disappear?"

"Because I brought him here, I'll get rid of him." Tara looked at the dog. "I just need to concentrate on the dog and…" the dog began to run away. "Dang it!"

"Send him back!" Sophie demanded.

"Okay, okay." Tara looked at the dog, who stopped to chase his tail.

"What is going on?" Nate made his way towards the witches.

Tara looked up at Nate, and suddenly Nate froze. "Nate!" Sophie went over to Nate, but he didn't move. He was as still as a statue. "Tara!"

"Oops."

"I have no objections to this," Parker smiled.

"Maybe I can fix this," Tara performed another spell, and Nate was a chimpanzee.

"How did you manage to turn him into a chimp?" Sophie questioned.

"Again, I have no objections," Parker still had the smile on her face.

Sophie turned Nate back into a human. "Thank goodness," she breathed a sigh of relief when Nate was a human.

Nate was furious. "Sophie, this is the last time you and your witch friends are gonna make a monkey outta me! Now you, and..." he pointed to Tara, "I forgot your name. I want you two out of here!"

"Okay," Tara tried to do a disappearing spell, but somehow she accidentally turned Nate into a statue again. "It's been a while since I used any of these spells."

"Nate," Sophie waved her fingers in front of his face. "Nate?" There was a knock on the door. "Oh no, his client and his client's partner is here!"

"We can fix this," Tara assured. "Parker, can you undo this like you did the last one?"

"I would if I could, but I'm not supposed to be here for dinner," Parker smirked.

"No, you're more experienced. You are staying and fixing this," Sophie instructed.

"Wish I could, but he wants me out of here," Parker disappeared.

"Parker!"

The knock continued. Tara tried to regain composure. "Okay, Sophie, you answer the door and I'll set Nate at the table and try to fix this."

"If you could put a nice dinner on the table too, that would be nice," Sophie fixed her hair and answered the door. Eliot and Hardison were standing there. "Gentlemen, how do you do, I'm Mrs. Ford."

"Yes," The two stepped in.

"Can I offer you a drink?"

"Wine," the two men were in sync.

"Of course." Sophie's peripheral vision glanced at Tara who was struggling to fix Nate. "I don't believe I've seen you two before."

"Eliot Spencer."

"Alec Hardison."

"Charmed," Sophie feigned a smile.

"Listen darlin'," Eliot began, "we don't mean to rush ya, but we do have another place to be."

"And we did notice the dinner was ready when we walked in," Hardison added.

"Right," there was no way to avoid this. "The dining room is over there." She nervously watched as the two men sat at the table.

"Hello, Nathan," the men greeted a frozen Nate in unison.

Nate was looking down at his food. Tara was sitting beside him. "What's that Nate," Tara lowered her head to Nate's level and pretended that he spoke. "He says hi," Tara answered for him. "He's not feeling well today."

"He seemed well earlier," Hardison remembered.

"So," Sophie attempted to change the subject, "what exactly are you and my husband working on?"

"We're working on the advertisement for a new doll," Eliot replied. "Nate is supposed to be pitching us a commercial."

"Are you darling?" Sophie looked up at Nate, but glanced at Tara. Tara nervously nodded Nate's head for him.

"Are you sure he's alright?" Hardison questioned.

"To be honest, he was nervous and he tried to take anxiety pills, but he accidentally took sleeping pills. I should've fixed this problem myself," Sophie was directing that last statement to Tara, "but I also panicked. Nate should be better soon." Sophie wiggled her nose.

Nate's head fell into his spaghetti. "What the?" He looked up. "Mr. Spencer, Mr. Hardison." He looked to his right. "And you."

Parker entered the dining room with the dog beside her. "Hello everyone."

"I thought I told you to stay away!"

"I wanted to see how your pitch was going."

"Yes," Sophie coyly smiled, "because Parker and Tara are the ones with the real ideas."

"What?" Everyone was in unison.

"Nate's been having trouble coming up with a great idea for your product and Tara and Parker have been trying to help him, but Nate disagrees with them. I think they're wonderful and if you two gentlemen would go on a double date to a fancy restaurant, our treat, they'll share their ideas."

"I don't see why not," Eliot shrugged. "Let's make this quick."

Tara prepared to snap, but Parker stopped her. "We'll take your car," Parker gave Sophie a look before leaving.

Nate wiped the spaghetti on his face. He looked up at his wife and had a look of anger on his face. "Sophie, will you tell me what's going on?"

Sophie smiled. "Nate, we're going to have a baby."

"Everything that happened here could've been…" the expression on his face changed, "you're what?"

"I'm going to have a baby."

"Really? Seriously? You're not joking?"

"Honest. I had to tell you when we were alone."

Nate went over to his wife, took her in his arms, and kissed her. "I love you."

"I love you too."

"And not to change the subject, but I do have to know something."

"What?"

"Where did that dog come from?"

"Well…"

"What happened this evening?"

"I told you I was going to have a baby."

"You know if I didn't love you so much you would be in so much trouble."

"But you love me so much."

"Yes I do." Nate kissed her again, but suddenly stopped. "Do you know if it's going to be a…you know?"

Sophie understood. "I'm a witch not a fortune teller. For all I know we could be having a little witch, or a little warlock."

"Uh-huh." Nate didn't seem to like that option.

"Or we could have a plain, ordinary, mortal baby."

"It doesn't matter. Let's just hope the baby has your looks, my brains, and doesn't create as much magic as you."

"Alright." She leaned in for another kiss.

**Rob and Laura Petrie (**_**The Dick van Dyke Show**_**)**

A very pregnant Sophie sat upright in a different bed in a different bedroom setting reading a romance novel. Her husband did have a book in his hands, but he seemed more focused on his wife. Sophie noticed this. "What?"

"How are you feeling?"

"Fine, Nate."

"You sure?"

"If I wasn't sure, why would I have told you I was fine?"

"I know how you don't want me to worry. But how can you be so calm knowing you're gonna be a mother any minute now."

"The doctor said any _day _now, not any minute. Darling, relax. This is so unlike you. Usually you're the one who's calm and collected but now you're acting like one of those typical nervous, television fathers."

"You sure you don't feel anything?"

Sophie decided to toy with him. "I do feel something."

Nate moved closer to her. "What?"

"I feel as though you're going to have a nervous breakdown if you don't relax. If anything happens I'll tell you first. Who else would I tell anyway?"

"My friend's wife called a cab first."

"Well I'll do that if you can't relax. Please go to sleep."

"Can't you sleep?" Sophie glared at him. "Right, I suppose I'm keeping you awake." Sophie nodded. "Just shake me if anything happens." Sophie nodded as Nate turned on his side to sleep.

Sophie went back to reading. But once she decided she was finished, she tried to put the book back on the table, but when she slid it close to the center, the book hit their alarm clock accidentally setting it off. This caused Nate to bolt of bed thinking it was time. "Nate!" He went to help her out of bed. "Nate, everything's fine. The alarm clock just fell."

Nate tried to catch his breath. "So, nothing yet?"

"No. Please try and go to bed…and why are you dressed like you're ready for work?"

"You can never be too sure."

Sophie sighed. "I can't wait until this is all over and you go back to normal."

"What do you mean back to normal?"

"Good night Nate," Sophie turned over to attempt to sleep.

"Night Soph," Nate got back into bed. But just before settling down for a good night's sleep, he took his car keys from the table and put them next to his pillow. "You can never be too sure," he whispered.

"Go to sleep, Nate."

…

Tara was Sophie's friend and neighbor and always looked out for Sophie's best interest. "Where'd I leave her number?" Tara searched for Sophie's number. "Ah, here." She dialed Sophie's number.

While Sophie was in the kitchen making herself toast, Nate was still sleeping. The phone ringing woke him up. He answered the bedroom phone. "Hello," he still sounded tired.

Sophie picked up the phone in the kitchen. "Hello?"

"Sophie?" Nate took the phone away from his ear and looked at her side of the bed. "She called a cab!" He put the phone up to his ear. "Sophie, why didn't you wake me up? Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Sophie had confusion and worry in her tone.

"Okay I'll be down as fast as I can. Is the doctor there yet?"

"Doctor?"

"Am I missing something?" Tara was equally confused.

"Oh good Tara. Tara, if you could stay with her until I get there..."

"Nate, I'm at home."

"How could you leave her alone at the hospital?"

"Oh for Heaven's sakes!" Sophie had enough. "Nate, calm down. I'm not at the hospital, I'm in the kitchen."

"Kitchen?" Nate dropped the phone.

"Soph, what's going on?" Tara disguised her worry behind her calm voice.

"It's just my husband," Sophie groaned as she heard a crashing sound. "He must've fallen down the stairs again. I swear, ever since the doctor said the baby could come any day now he's been acting so different. It's like he's not even Nate." Nate entered the kitchen panting and stumbled to over to Sophie.

"So you're alright?" Tara inquired.

"I'm fine." Sophie directed this to two people. "Listen Tara, I'll call you later." Sophie hung up the phone.

Nate sat at the table. "Don't ever call me like that again."

"I didn't call you, Tara called me. You're acting stranger this morning."

"I didn't get any sleep."

"Why?"

"I was watching you sleep."

"You were? Why?"

"You're a sound sleeper I was afraid you'd sleep through it."

"You are in no condition to work today. I'll call you in sick today."

"_The Jack Hurley Show_, fifth floor," Nate's head hit the kitchen table and he was fast asleep.

…

As the next three days passed, Nate still wasn't sleeping. And as much as he objected, he still went to work.

Parker and Eliot were waiting in the office when a fatigued looking Nate entered. "Gee Nate, you look awful," Parker commented.

"Thank you Parker," Nate threw his jacket on the floor and slumped in a chair.

"Why are your clothes wrinkled?" Eliot inquired.

"I slept in them."

"I don't think Hardison's gonna find that professional at the staff meeting today," Parker went back to chewing on a pencil.

"There's a staff meeting today?"

"Didn't ya hear the rumor? There's a staff meeting every Thursday," Eliot sarcastically responded. "Hey, whaddya say Parker and I wrinkle our outfits and we go as a three piece suit?"

"I dunno," Parker looked down at Nate's feet, "I think we'd also have to find us some slippers to go with our outfit." Nate groaned. "Look, I know a clothes cleaning service that can come take your clothes and fix 'em before the meeting starts in an hour and a half." Parker began to make a phone call.

"So Nate, when do ya think you're gonna be passin' out them cigars?" Eliot asked.

"I doubt I'll ever pass out any cigars," Nate leaned back in the chair.

"Relax; the first baby usually takes their time anyway."

Parker hung up the phone. "Nate, they're already in the building, but they're in a hurry. If you could have them ready to go when they get here they'll take your clothes."

"Yeah, and you can wait here in your underwear til the staff meeting."

"Ha, ha Eliot." Nate rolled his eyes before he began to take off his pants.

Alec Hardison entered their office dressed like the office nerd (complete with glasses) carrying some papers. He took a confused glance at Nate. "What are you doing?"

"He's takin' his pants off, whaddya think he's doing?" Parker casually answered.

"I don't wanna know. Listen I hate to interrupt-"

"-good then leave," Eliot interrupted.

"Charming Eliot. Nate, we got a problem on the script and I need to talk to you about it before the meeting starts."

"What kind of…"

"Food tray," Agent Taggert entered the office pushing a giant cart of food and drinks through the small office running over Nate's foot. "Can't you watch where I'm going? You guys want a doughnut, or a muffin, how 'bout a bagel?"

"I think Nate could use some coffee," Eliot suggested.

"Ooh, orange juice for me," Parker requested.

"Hey Nate, lose your pants?" Taggert chuckled.

"Ha, ha." Nate was in a sour mood. "Can I get my coffee please?"

Agent McSweeten entered the crowded office. "Who asked for the clothes cleaner?"

"Over here!" Nate finished taking off his pants and threw them at McSweeten.

"What did you do, sleep in these pants?"

"I don't think it's any of your concern," Hardison was in a fouler mood when he turned to Taggert. "Listen, I need something to snack on, what do you have?"

Taggert began naming off foods as Nate started taking off his shirt. When it seemed like he was done, "If you give me a five your options are…"

Nate threw McSweeten his shirt, took the papers from Hardison, and began going through them. "Could this day get any worse?"

The phone rang, and Parker answered it. "_Jack Hurley Show_ writer's room." Parker's eyes widened. "Oh boy." She pulled the phone from her ears. "Nate, it's your wife."

Nate tried to move, but the cart was blocking him. "I need to take this could you please move the cart."

"No, I gotta make a sale," Taggert replied.

"I change my mind now move the cart," Hardison snarked.

Parker handed Eliot the phone, and Eliot tried to hand it to Nate. "The cart's in my way."

"Toss it," Nate commanded. Eliot tossed the phone and it hit Nate in the eye. "Dammit Eliot!"

"Sorry, you okay?"

Nate paid no attention and put the phone to his ear. "Hello?"

"Nate, is everything alright?" Sophie sounded normal.

"Yeah, I just got hit in the face with a phone, no big deal. How are you?"

"I'm not sure. I started getting a strange feeling and I called the doctor and he said I should start getting ready to go to the hospital. I think today's the day."

"IT'S TIME!" The office was in a panic. "Okay, Sophie, Sophie honey keep calm, breathe, don't panic. I'll be home soon. Can you wait for me? Unless you can't, then don't wait for me. I'll be right there." He threw the phone onto the floor. "This is it!" Nate made his way around the cart and was headed out the door.

"Hey, Nate!" Parker called him back in. "Forget something?"

"Could you hang up the phone for me, Eliot? In all this excitement I-"

"-pants, Nate."

"Dammit! Hardison, Hardison give me your pants."

"No can do Nate," Hardison rejected. "I've got a meeting with the sponsors before the staff meeting."

"Eliot."

"My pants ain't gonna fit ya," Eliot didn't really want to. "Plus you'll look kinda stupid."

"I don't care what I look like, but I can't go on the streets of Boston without any pants."

"Fine," Eliot began to take off his pants.

"What about a shirt?" Parker asked.

"I've got my jacket." Nate put on his jacket.

Taggert took Eliot's pants from Eliot and looked at them. "You know, I used to be a tailor. If you want I could-"

"PANTS!" Nate ordered. "Parker, can you call a taxi and send him to my house just in case?" He struggled to get Eliot's pants on.

"Sure. You got them inside out, by the way." Parker was laughing.

"I frankly don't give a damn." Once the pants were on, Nate was off. "The next time you see me, I'm gonna be a father!"

"Unless he has a nervous breakdown in the elevator," Parker commented.

…

Tara entered the Ford house and found Sophie on the couch reading. "Hiya, Soph. I got my car in the driveway if you want to start going."

"No, nothing serious is happening yet," Sophie assured, "I think we should wait for Nate." The women heard a car pull into the driveway. "That was fast."

Tara opened the door. "That's not Nate."

Bonanno was at the door dressed like a cabbie. "Someone called a cab for this residence?"

"Nate must've done that as a precaution," Sophie told Tara. "Typical Nate, always has a Plan B. Would you mind waiting for my husband, please?"

"If you can wait, I can wait. I'll be in your driveway."

"Really Sophie, I think we should get in the cab," Tara tried to persuade.

"Not until Nate's here." Tires squealed outside. "That must be him."

"Hey, watch where you're…" Bonanno was cut off by a CRASH.

"Oh my goodness."

"Maybe it wasn't Nate," Tara opened the door and Nate came running in holding onto a pair of loose pants. "It's Nate."

"What are you still doing here?" Nate helped Sophie up.

"Why are you wearing those pants?" Tara questioned.

"And what happened to your shirt?" Sophie was concerned.

"Never mind, let's just go," Nate grabbed her arm and began leading her to the door.

Bonanno came back in. "We ain't goin' anywhere."

"It's alright, sir, I'm taking my wife in my car."

"Good luck. When you hit my car, I hit the car in front of me. It's like bumper cars out there. No one's goin' anywhere."

"Can't you do anything?"

"The bumpers are all welded together."

"I'll call the neighbors. Tara, can I use your phone?" Tara was about to correct him when the realization hit him. "Never mind, I'll use mine. Where is it?" She and Bonanno pointed to his phone.

"Nate," Sophie was standing behind her husband. "Calm down, we have plenty of time."

"What are you doing standing up? Sit down! Sit down!" Sophie sighed as she sat on the couch. "Hello operator, can I get the police?"

"Police? Nate, why don't you just call another taxi?"

Nate had no idea. "Because…it's not fair to this guy," he lied as he pointed to Bonanno. "Hello, Police? Listen my wife's having a baby and three cars are welded together in my driveway, could you send a car over? You will? Thanks." He hung up and sat next to his wife. "See Sophie, everything's gonna be fine."

"Nate, you didn't give them our address."

"I didn't do what now?" It hit him. "Oh!"

"And where did you get that black eye? Nate, what's going on?"

McSweeten knocked on the open door. "Hi Ms. Cole. Hi Mr. Bonanno. Mrs. Ford, did you say you had some clothes for me to take?"

"Over there." Sophie pointed to the clothes at the chair.

"Hey, you're the guy from the office," McSweeten recognized Nate. "You must be Mr. Ford, I never met ya 'cause I come by in the afternoons when you're workin' so..."

"Hey," Nate went over to McSweeten, "you have a truck outside right?" McSweeten nodded. "My wife's having a baby, could you drive us to the hospital?"

"Wow! Sure!"

"You, uh, you don't mind riding in a clothing truck do you Soph?" Nate asked her as he picked up a suitcase.

"As long as you're with me, darling, it's fine," Sophie was helped off the couch by Bonanno. "And thanks again, Mr. McSweeten."

"No problem," McSweeten smiled. "You know our motto anyway; 'We pick up and deliver'."

"Might I suggest that Nate puts on a pair of pants that fits?" Tara smiled.

"I'm sure there's one in this pile here somewhere." McSweeten led the Fords into his truck. "I'll have you at the hospital in no time."

"Take your time," Sophie assured.

"Soph!" Nate was amazed at how calm she was.

"Oh Nate, relax. The first baby usually doesn't come for a while anyway. Now, would you care to share how you got a black eye, what happened to your clothes, and where those pants came from?"

"It's a long story."

"We've got time."

"How can you stay cool under all this pressure?"

Sophie laughed. "I learned from the best."

Nate smirked. "I love you."

"And I love you," the two kissed each other.

**…**

"_1960's sitcoms, Nate? Really?"_

"_They're just as cheesy as fairy tales. And _I Love Lucy_ was from the 50's, not 60's."_

_"You made yourself seem so different."_

_"Well, change is good sometimes."_

_Sophie looked down at the baby, who was asleep in Nate's arms. "Well, it seemed to put her to sleep, and you did tell those in a sort of story format I guess."_

"_Thank you."_

"_I'm surprised you didn't use _The Addams Family_ or _I Dream of Jeannie_. I can see you picturing me in those outfits Morticia and Jeannie wore."_

_"You know me well, Mrs. Ford," Nate joked. "I never watched _Jeannie_ anyway and the _Addams Family _has too many characters. I did consider _Married…with Children_, but that's nowhere near appropriate for children."_

"_Well, thank you for keeping your stories clean and wholesome. I think you do a good job telling stories."_

"_Thank you. Well, I think now is as good a time as ever to get some sleep."_

_Sophie cuddled up to her husband. "Why don't you put Gracie on your chest so I can sleep in your arms?"_

_Nate carefully cradled his daughter on his chest. "Come on," he extended his free arm to his wife and smirked at her, "snuggle up to Daddy."_

_Downstairs as Eliot and Hardison were engaged in a video game boxing match (which Hardison was losing) when Parker came out of the nursery upset. "Guys, have you seen Gracie?"_

"_Parker you can't keep checking on the kid every thirty to forty minutes," Eliot had gruffness in his tone._

"_But she's really not there!"_

_Hardison groaned in defeat as Eliot laughed at his expense. "You boxed before, so that's cheatin'."_

"_Guys!"_

"_Relax Parker, she's probably with Nate or Sophie."_

"_Where are Nate and Sophie?"_

"_They're probably in their bedroom."_

"_Where's Sam?"_

"_Stop askin' and go see for yourself," Eliot suggested._

"_Stop askin' and go see for yourself," Parker mocked. "You don't have to be so mean." She went upstairs and peeked into Nate and Sophie's room. Sleeping soundly on the bed, Sophie was cuddled up to Nate while Gracie was being cradled on her father's chest. Sam looked up at Parker from the end of the bed. Quietly, she pulled out her phone and took a picture. "This is definitely going to be my screensaver."_

* * *

**Yes, I apologize for the delay. There was a delay for 2 reasons: the 1****st**** reason was it was extremely hard to come up with fantasy ideas, let alone how to portray them. Here's a quick list**

_**I Love Lucy**_**-no specific episode**

**Nate: Ricky Ricardo**

**Sophie: Lucy Ricardo**

**Eliot: random stage manager working for Nate**

**Parker: Ethel Mertz**

**Hardison: Fred Mertz**

**Tara: random big time Hollywood producer Lucy usually tries to impress**

**Maggie: some random actress**

**The theatre is the equivalent to the club where Ricky worked but I could see Nate more as a director than bandleader**

_**Bewitched**_**-again, no specific episode**

**Nate: Darrin Stephens**

**Sophie: Samantha Stephens**

**Eliot: random guy who ties to Nate's job**

**Parker: Endora**

**Hardison: another random guy who ties to Nate's job**

**Tara: Aunt Clara (Tara, Clara, it rhymes)**

**Monica Hunter: Gladys Kravitz**

_**The Dick van Dyke Show**_**-the "Where Did I Come From" episode…just not told as a flashback**

**Nate: Rob Petrie**

**Sophie: Laura Petrie**

**Eliot: Buddy**

**Parker: Sally**

**Hardison: Mel**

**Tara: Millie**

**Taggert: guy with food/drink cart**

**McSweeten: it was originally a pants presser (they had those in the 60's) but I gave him a bigger part**

**Bonanno: random taxi driver**

**I picked those sitcoms 'cause I watched them (I love that episode of **_**Dick van Dyke**_** in particular) and they're classic television romances. I tried to do **_**Addams Family**_** but like Nate said, there were too many characters and not enough good guys. I wanted to do **_**Married…with Children**_** and that woulda worked out, but it woulda been inappropriate and Nate seem way more outta character.**

**Also bad timing in life; my gramma did pass away on Tuesday so I had to take a few days off to be with family. It sucked that she did die, and that I had to be with family I don't really like. She will be missed because she was awesome and was a major influence in getting me to watch Leverage (it was by accident, but if I didn't watch it, I wouldn't like it)**

**As promise, there will be one more chapter and it will be a fairy tale; promise.**

**I hope you guys like the name Gracie, it was also hard to come up with a name for a Nate/Sophie baby. I had her pictured in my mind to look like Sophie, but have Nate's eyes, but no one can see her anyway so I don't know why that should matter.**

**Thanks for stickin' with me, just one more to go and you don't have to keep skimming through this incredibly long story.**


	10. Gracie's Fantasy

**LAST CHAPTER! As much as I enjoyed doing this, I'm glad it's ending. Not just for length purposes, but now I can attempt to get back at my life and maybe watch more movies (because I think I watch too much TV).**

**I hadn't planned on doing ten chapters as I mentioned before; but then I had this really cool inspiration thingy and I remembered another fairy tale I used to love that has been…well it's been Disney-fied I'll leave it at that. **_**Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child**_** even did a feminist version of this story, but I'm keepin' it the original Hans Christian Andersen version (yeah, I'm surprised he did this too 'cause I completely forgot). Besides, I owe you another fairy tale after skipping one out for Nate.**

**Hope you don't mind an original character's take on it. Here's Gracie's version.**

* * *

_Three year old Gracie Ford sat on the couch as her "Uncle" Alec put up pictures of people. "Pop quiz," He pointed to the first picture of Eliot. "Tell me who this is and if they're good or bad?"_

"_Uncle Eliot, good," Gracie proudly answered. Hardison changed the picture. "Maggie, good."_

"_Alright now, this one might be tricky."_

"_Grampa Ford, made bad decizins."_

_Hardison pretended to tear up. "They learn so fast. Gimme five, I'm-a proud of you." Gracie gave him a high five. "One more." He changed the picture._

"_Sterling, really, really, really…really evil."_

"_You go girl!" He held out her fist for her to bump with her small fist._

"_Daddy says you hafta help me wiff my woom."_

"_Wiff?"_

"_Hardison," Eliot was sitting in a chair trying to read, "she's three years old, the 'th' sound is hard for them. She's mastered the 'L' sound though."_

"_Yeah," Gracie agreed with Eliot. "Daddy says you hafta help me pack my woom."_

"_I can see we need to work a little bit on the 'R' sound. And speaking of 'Daddy' where is Nate?" Hardison asked._

"_He and Sophie are out doin' somethin'."_

"_Parker went with them I assume?"_

"_Parker and Tara are buying wallpaper for our new place."_

"_We all get to liff togever!" Gracie proudly stated._

"_That's right; we all get to live together." Eliot smiled at her. "How big is our new house?"_

"_Really, really, really…really big! Wiff a pool!"_

"_Can't forget that can we?" Hardison chuckled._

"_Is Uncle Eliot gonna teach me to swim?" Gracie asked Eliot._

"_You know it," Eliot answered. "Now why don't you and Uncle Hardison start packing?"_

_Gracie ran to her room. "Come on Uncle Alec!"_

"_Yeah, go on Uncle Alec," Eliot snickered._

"_I don't know why didn't ask you to do it," Hardison grumbled._

"'_Cause I gotta pick up my nephew from the airport this afternoon."_

"_Why was I not told about this?"_

"_Look, my sister's goin' through some rough court issues with her husband. She doesn't want her six year old son subjected to this kinda stuff. So being a good uncle, I volunteered to babysit my nephew for a week." Eliot looked at his watch. "I gotta go meet him and his mother and take them to lunch before she has to fly back to Dallas. You can help your 'niece' pack her room like a good uncle." Eliot snickered as he left._

"_Well at least I see my niece in person every day," Hardison muttered as he went to Gracie's room._

"_I don't know how to pack," Gracie looked up at him._

"_Okay," Hardison looked at an empty box. "This one says 'toys'. We put only toys in here until the box is full."_

"_Okay." Gracie picked up a handful of toys and dropped them in the box. "Like tat?"_

"_That's a start, but you might wanna put them in gently so they don't break."_

"_What 'bout my piggy bank," she held up a plastic piggy bank._

"_The one Aunt Parker gave you? You still haven't broken that?" He took the pig shaped bank from her and shook it. "There ain't much in here."_

"_Daddy says ain't ain't a word."_

"_Daddy can be a real buzzkill."_

_Gracie looked upset. "Daddy killed Buzz?"_

"_No, no buzzkill means…fun sucker. Your daddy is a fun sucker."_

"_Na-ah!"_

"_Yeah-huh!"_

"_Na-ah!"_

"_Yeah-huh!" Hardison stopped. "I'm arguing with a three year old."_

"_You're jealous 'cause Daddy doesn't play wiff you as much."_

"_Uh…sure. Now," he pulled another box closer to him, "this box says 'books'."_

"_Only books go in tere!_

"_Yeah, but gently. Don't just throw them in."_

_Gracie picked up a fairy tale book. "Uncle Alec, why does Sam haff his own book if he can't read?"_

_Hardison sighed. "I thought your daddy told you about your big brother."_

"_Tat he's wiff ta angels."_

"_Yeah. Well, that book used to be your big brother's."_

"_Oh." She threw the book in the box._

"_Ah-ah-ah, gently." Hardison's phone rang. "Hello…..whoa, whoa Sophie calm down…is everything okay?"_

"_HI MOMMY!" Gracie yelled into the phone._

"_Gracie says hi. What? Is he okay? I'm just helpin' Gracie pack but…yeah, yeah, no. No, Eliot's not here and Parker and Tara aren't back. Um, okay, I'll do that. Keep me posted." Hardison hung up his phone. "Come on Gracie, we gotta go."_

"_Go where?"_

"_To the doctors."_

"_Na-uh, I don't wan anover shot!"_

"_No shot, I promise." _

_Parker and Tara met up with Hardison at the hospital. "What happened?" Parker questioned._

"_Nate got hit by a car," Hardison answered._

"_Is he alright?" Tara inquired._

"_Yeah, he'll be fine. He regained consciousness, he just needed a few stitches on the side of his head and he broke his leg, but he's fine."_

"_And Sophie?"_

"_He pushed her outta the way before it hit her. Some jackass was talking on his cell phone and all emotional bout his mother dyin' or somethin' like that, so he didn't really see what was in front of him."_

"_Where's Gracie?" Parker asked._

"_I asked a nurse to keep her company in the waiting room until Sophie's ready to let her see Nate."_

"_Where's Eliot?" Tara questioned._

"_Pickin' up his nephew from the airport."_

"_Oh yeah, Casey's coming today," Parker remembered._

"_You knew about this?"_

"_Yeah," Tara and Parker simultaneously responded._

"_Yeah, keep the brother outta the loop."_

_Sophie met up with the three of them down the hall. "I'm sure you know by now what happened."_

"_Can we go see him?" Parker asked._

"_Not until he's ready to see you guys. He wants to see Gracie."_

"_She's with a nurse in the waiting room," Hardison replied._

"_Good." Sophie handed him some money. "Why don't you guys get something from the cafeteria? And maybe get a present for Casey from the gift shop."_

"_Aw come on you knew too! Y'all are cruel!"_

_Sophie made her way to the waiting room where her daughter ran over to her excitedly. "Hi, Sweetie."_

_Gracie held up a paper with her artwork. "I drawed tis for Daddy."_

"_Oh, that's pretty. He'll love it. Come on, Daddy wants to see you." Sophie took her daughter's hand and led her to Nate's room. "Nate, someone wants to see you."_

_Gracie went over to the side of the bed where Nate was laying upright. "Hi, Daddy."_

"_Hey honey. Whatcha got there?" She handed him her drawing. "You made this for me?" Gracie just nodded. "What's wrong?"_

"_Daddy are you broken?"_

_Nate laughed. "You could say that, yeah Daddy's broken."_

"_How did you break?"_

_Nate thought about how to answer his three year old. "I broke when I saved Mommy from being broken."_

"_And Mummy thanks you for that," Sophie kissed her husband._

"_Are you gonna get fixed Daddy?" Gracie questioned._

"_Eventually," Nate answered, "it's gonna take a while."_

"_And we have to be very careful around Daddy to make sure he can get fixed faster," Sophie added._

"_Can you still play wiff me Daddy?" Gracie looked into her father's blue eyes with her blue eyes._

"_I'm sure I can. If not Mommy, or one of your aunts or uncles, or even Casey can play with you when he comes to visit," Nate told her. Nate looked at Sophie and smirked. "I'm sure by now Hardison's figured out Eliot's nephew is coming to visit."_

_Sophie chuckled. "Do you want to see anyone else today darling?"_

"_Nah, I'm gettin' out in a few hours anyway. Why don't you and Gracie join the others for lunch?"_

"_You'll be fine without us?"_

"_Sophie, it's a broken leg and a couple of stitches, I'll be fine."_

"_Alright, but I still worry about you, you know."_

"_I know."_

_She gave him another kiss. "Come on, Gracie, let's go eat."_

"_Bye Daddy!" Gracie blew him a kiss and followed her mother._

_Nate smiled to himself. He then took a remote by his bedside and turned on the TV across from him._

"_Coming up next on _TVLand, _another episode of_ The Dick van Dyke Show, _then an hour of nose twitches with _Bewitched_, and after that spend an hour with the Ricardos and the Mertzes with _I Love Lucy."

"_You have got to be kidding me," Nate changed the channel. _

_Eliot entered the apartment with a seven year old mini Eliot, but with shorter, red hair and brown eyes. "Hey, this is my nephew Casey." He moved the shy guy closer to everyone. "This is Parker, Hardison, Tara, and that's Gracie playing with Sam the dog."_

_Parker began laughing. "Casey and Gracie, it rhymes."_

_Eliot and his nephew rolled their eyes. "So, where are Nate and Sophie?"_

"_Nate's being discharged from the hospital, they're on their way back," Tara answered._

"_Did I miss somethin'?"_

"_Now you know how it feels to be left out," Hardison stuck out his tongue._

"_Dude, Hardison, grow up. The seven year old is more mature than you." Eliot bent down to his nephew. "Case, show Hardison what you do when you see a bad guy."_

_Casey went over to Hardison and kicked him in the leg. "OW! Dammit Eliot!"_

"_I bet his uncle taught him that," Parker joked. "And watch your language Hardison."_

"_Case, why don't you and Gracie go play toys," Eliot suggested._

"_But she's got girl toys," Casey whined, "and cooties."_

"_Cooties ain't real."_

"_Ain't ain't a word."_

"_Did your Mama teach ya that? Go play with Gracie so we can have some grown up time."_

"_Fine, but she can't touch my toys!" Casey stomped his way to Gracie's room carrying a bag. Gracie and Sam followed. "You can't touch my toys!"_

"_Fine." Gracie went to her packed, but still open, box of toys. "You can't touch my toys!"_

"_Fine!" Casey went over to his own corner as Gracie began playing with a toy. "Is that an action figure?"_

"_No!"_

"_Looks like one from over here."_

_She showed him a plastic ballerina toy. "Tis was my Mommy's ballewina doll. It's made of plastic."_

"_Ballerinas are for girls!"_

"_I am a girl!"_

"_Do you have any boy toys?"_

"_I haff a bear. Aunt Parker gave it to me." She handed him a stuffed bear._

"_Cool." Casey placed the bear on the floor and took out a pack of toy soldiers. "Oh no it's a giant bear!" He moved around the toys. "Attack!" He pretended they were attacking the bear. "Oh no we got one who's hurt." He focused on a solider on the ground near the bear. "My leg, it's gone! Kill the bear!" Casey made the shoulders jump on the bear and pretend to knock him over._

"_Stop it!" Gracie snatched up the bear and clutched it close to her. "Don't do tat!"_

"_Got any Transformers?"_

"_You hafta treat toys nice!"_

"_Did your Mommy teach you that?"_

"_No, my Daddy did."_

"_Whatever."_

"_See," she picked up one of his soldiers on the ground, "toys get breaked when you don't play nice."_

"_That was Pa's toy," Casey defended. "All the soldiers were Pa's toys. I don't know why he has one leg."_

_Gracie examined the soldier. "He's got bwown hair and blue eyes like me and my Daddy."_

"_You can have him if you want. I just use him as an injured person. And when I get really, really old and sell these soldiers the other four will be worth more cash than that one legged loser soldier."_

"_Hi guys," Parker sat down in the center of the room. "Whatcha doing?"_

"_Look what I got." Gracie displayed her new solider._

"_Oh hey, it's the solider from the story."_

"_What stowy?"_

"The Steadfast Tin Soldier_," Parker went into Gracie's box of books and searched for the story. "See," she showed Gracie the title page to the fairy tale. "It's about a one legged soldier who falls in love with a ballerina because he thinks she has one leg, she doesn't. A jack-in-the-box likes the ballerina too and tries to get rid of the soldier, and he kinda does, but the soldier makes his way back to the ballerina." Parker made a Parker face. "The ending's not so happy though."_

_Gracie showed Parker her ballerina. "I haff a ballewina too!"_

"_Yep, you sure do."_

"_Can you read me ta stowy?" Gracie asked._

"_Yep, and I'll give you the happier, Disney, ending," Parker read the story and gave it a happy ending to suit her and Gracie._

"_I can play ta stowy!"_

"_You sure could. By the way, where did you get the soldier from?"_

"_Him."_

"_It's busted," Casey informed. "It won't be worth anything when I'm old."_

"_You are your uncle's nephew," Parker commented._

"_No, duh! What's wrong with you?"_

"_Yep, definitely a mini Eliot."_

"_I'm bored. Can I watch TV?"_

_Parker shrugged. "I don't care. You're leaving with your uncle in a half hour anyway." Casey ran out of the room._

"_He's a jerk," Gracie insulted._

"_Where did you hear that from?"_

"_You."_

"_Oh, then I guess it's okay. Your mommy and daddy will be back soon."_

"_Is Daddy fixed?"_

"_Not quite, so be careful around him."_

"_Okay."_

"_See ya," Parker tousled Gracie's hair._

_Gracie went back to playing. "Ta ballewina has bwown hair like Mommy, and ta solider looks like Daddy. I'll call him Nate, and ta ballewina is Sophie 'cause tey love each oter." Gracie looked at the pictures in the book Parker left on the floor. "Tat soldier doesn't look like Daddy." She picked up her soldier. "You look more like Daddy." She began to play with the toys until she heard the door open and ran to see who it was._

_Usually it would be Nate holding the door open for Sophie; so it was a bit of a surprise to see Sophie holding the door open for Nate. Nate entered the apartment on crutches, his left leg in a cast. "I hate these things," he muttered as he made his way toward the couch._

"_At least you didn't lose your leg," Sophie helped him sit down and kept his foot elevated._

"_Or your life," Parker's assurance didn't really help, even though she meant well._

"_When do you think it'll be healed enough for you to walk on it?" Tara inquired._

"_The doctor said to at least wait ten days before attempting to walk on it," Nate answered. "So we're gonna have to postpone the moving date by a couple of days."_

"_Nate, we've postponed it twice already," Hardison reminded. "Don't worry, we'll take care of all the moving and you and Sophie can just…carry light things with one hand."_

"_Why are you acting like I'm the one who got hurt too?" Sophie questioned. "I can help carry boxes." Sophie looked over at the little boy near Eliot. "This must be Casey."_

"_Say hi, Case," Eliot requested._

"_Hi," Casey was shy around adults._

"_Gosh Eliot, he looks like you," Sophie commented._

"_He looks likes his maternal grandfather and his father," Eliot explained. "I also look like his maternal grandfather so there is a slight resemblance between me and my nephew."_

"_His nephew sure does kick like his uncle though," Hardison grumbled._

"_Do we want to know Hardison?" Nate questioned._

"_Hardison's just bitchin' bout life again," Eliot muttered._

"_Language," Parker scolded. "There are kids here, Eliot."_

_Gracie sat next to her father on the couch. "Hey you," Nate tousled her hair. "What've you been up to today?" Gracie shrugged. "Well, that's good I guess."_

"_What are tose big sticks for?" She pointed to Nate's crutches._

"_They're made to help me get fixed faster."_

"_Oh. Can you still play wiff me?"_

"_Not tonight."_

"_Oh." She turned to her mom, "Mommy can you play wiff me?"_

"_Mummy has to help take care of Daddy sweetie," Sophie declined._

"_I think Mommy can take the rest of the night off," Nate smirked at her. "Go on Mommy."_

"_You sure you'll be fine?"_

"_Soph, if anything should happen I've got Eliot, Hardison, Parker, or Tara-"_

"_-and me!" Casey piped up._

"_Or Casey to help me. You worry too much, you know." Nate gestured for his wife to bend down to his level so he could kiss her. "Now go play with Gracie," he leaned his head back to her ear, "then later you can play with me."_

_Sophie playfully hit his shoulder. "Come on sweetheart," Sophie led Gracie into Gracie's room. "What should we play?"_

_Gracie held up her soldier. "Casey gave it to me."_

_Sophie examined it. "I remember this. Did you know this is the Steadfast Tin Soldier?" Gracie nodded. "This toy was sold in London when Mummy was younger," she picked up the ballerina. "I remember I kept the ballerina, but my cousin got to keep the soldiers. Last I heard he sold them."_

"_He looks like Daddy."_

_Sophie looked closer. "Brown hair, blue eyes, I can see some resemblance."_

"_His name's Nate."_

_Sophie giggled. "Is it? And the ballerina is Sophie?"_

"'_Cause tey were made for each odder. And Sophie has bwown hair like you."_

"_Do you know about the story?"_

"_Aunt Parker told me, but it had a happy endin'."_

"_Good. Is this what we'll be playing?" Gracie nodded. "Are you going to be the ballerina?"_

"_You can."_

"_Why thank you, darling. Alright, you start and I'll follow."_

_Mother and daughter played for about forty-five minutes before Tara knocked on the door. "Just thought I'd let you ladies know, unlike some other people, that I'll be leaving for the night."_

"_Thank you, Tara."_

"_Nate plans on turning in early just to let you know."_

"_Is something wrong?"_

"_No, he's just kinda tired. Hardison and Eliot brought your bed downstairs before they left by the way."_

"_The whole bed?"_

"_Like Nate's going to use the stairs anyway? Moving the bed downstairs makes moving day a tad easier anyway. Parker's out with Sam, she'll be back in ten minutes."_

"_Thank you for the update." Sophie watched Tara leave before glancing over at her wristwatch. "Bedtime."_

"_I'm not sleepy," Gracie yawned._

"_I haven't heard that excuse before. Come on, I'll tuck you in tonight." Gracie climbed into bed. Sophie brushed her daughter's hair back before tucking her in. "You don't have to use the bathroom or anything?" Gracie shook her head. "You sure?" Gracie nodded. "Alright, good night."_

"_You did it wong."_

"_Did what wrong?"_

"_When Daddy tells me good night he says 'say good night Gracie' and I say 'good night Gracie' and ten he gives me a good night kiss and tells me good night and turns on Scooby-Doo nightlight. Why isn't Daddy tucking me in tonight like he always does?"_

"_Daddy needs to get some rest so his leg can get better."_

"_Oh." The three year old shrugged it off._

"_Okay then; say good night Gracie."_

"_Good night Gracie!"_

_Sophie kissed her daughter. "Good night." She turned on a night light before shutting the door and joining her husband in their temporary bedroom._

_Gracie, satisfied with her bedtime ritual, cuddled up with her teddy bear and started to dream._

**…**

In her dream, Gracie was still Gracie, but she lived with her Aunt Tara in Tara's apartment (which in real life Gracie had visited twice). Since there were three bedrooms, one room was Tara's, one room was Gracie, and another room was a playroom for all of Gracie's toys. And like every other toy in existence, they would come to life whenever no one was in the room.

A little round _Fisher-Price _toy that bore similarities to Maggie acted as a lookout. "Clear!" She made her way to the center as other toys began to come to life. She made her way past the only stuffed bear in the room. "Hi Eliot, are we still on for our tea party with Gracie tomorrow?"

"It's not a real tea party," the bear sounded like a serious Eliot.

A jingling sound came closer to Maggie and Eliot. It was a piggy bank who had facial features like Hardison. "Don't forget about the show at the castle in the corner tonight," he reminded.

"Yeah, I heard Parker will be joining Sophie in a dancing duet," Maggie remembered.

"Parker's not a ballerina," Eliot groaned.

"Man, use your imagination," Hardison grumbled.

"Yeah, Eliot," Maggie agreed. "Be grateful we get played with."

"Unlike Sterling." Hardison looked back at the closed Jack-in-the-Box toy that was recently moved near the castle.

A stuffed doll ran over to her friends. "Hey," this was Parker, "could you guys help me talk to Sophie?"

"What's wrong?"

"She's so nervous about tonight; every toy is coming to the show. She won't stop dancing. I suggested we go play the plastic xylophone, but she just won't stop dancing."

"She won't really be dancing," even as a teddy bear Eliot was still his serious self.

"Then why don't you try telling her that?" Parker led the toys to the castle in the corner where Sophie the ballerina was practicing dancing. "Hi, Sophie!"

Sophie looked over at her friends. "Oh, hello. I can't really talk now; I have to practice for tonight."

"You shouldn't push yourself so hard, Sophie," Maggie attempted to persuade her to take a break, "if you keep doing that you might break yourself."

"I'll be fine, really."

"We don't want you to scratch yourself or nothin'," Hardison didn't know what to say.

"I'll be fine. I want to do my best tonight; every toy will be watching you know."

"You ain't really doin' the dancin'," Eliot softly, but gruffly said to her. "Gracie's really doin' the dancin', but she's using you for show."

This got Sophie to stop. "But she chose me to be the star of the show."

"Only 'cause you're designed as the ballerina! Believe me, if you weren't the ballerina you wouldn't be dancin' so you won't have to worry."

"We care about you," Parker told her.

Sophie looked at her friends. "I know you do, but…"

"Don't listen to them, Sophie."

Sophie looked around. "Who said that?"

"Sterling," Eliot recognized the voice.

The Jack-in-the-Box began to wind itself, and out popped Sterling as the jack. This startled Sophie. "You must be new," Sterling extended a giant to hand to Sophie. "Pleasure to make your acquaintance. My name is Sterling." Sophie nervously shook his giant hand with her tiny hand.

"Don't listen to anything he says," Hardison warned.

"Forgive me for not making my presence known to you before, Sophie. It's just, I haven't unwinded in a while and I was recently relocated here," Sterling explained. "When did Gracie acquire you?"

"L-l-last week," she nervously answered.

"I assume all of the other toys have greeted you," he gave looks to Maggie, Parker, Hardison, and Eliot. "_I_ was not aware you were here. Listen, how would you like to accompany me a few blocks away to the peg? It amuses me to place the round object into the square hole," Sterling chuckled.

"I really can't, I have to…" Eliot picked up the ballerina and carried her away from Sterling. Sophie surprisingly had no objections. "Thank you, he frightens me."

"He frightens Gracie too," Maggie told her. "The first time she played with him, she got scared. He's never been played with since."

"How long ago did she get Sterling?"

"You'd have to ask Eliot."

"Yeah, Eliot's been here the longest," Parker reminded. "He was the first toy Gracie ever had."

Eliot shrugged. "I remember he was here last year. Rarely came out of his damn box."

"Language!"

"What? Gracie ain't in here, is she?"

"Let's go put them in your playroom," Tara's voice was heard down the hall.

"Spoke too soon," Eliot whistled. "Man your stations!" The toys scattered back to their original places in their original poses as Tara and Gracie entered the playroom.

Gracie put something on her bed before rushing over to her piggy bank. "I got a nickel!" She proudly dropped five cents into the slot on Hardison's back. "Do you wanna play Aunt Tara?"

"I can't right now, Gracie," Tara responded. "Why don't you stay in here for the next hour and play with your new toys your grandpa gave you?"

"Okay." Gracie picked up what she placed on her bed and brought it down to the floor. It was a box of soldiers; five soldiers. Each of the soldiers bore a resemblance to someone Gracie knew or had been taught was a good guy. In order; Taggert, McSweeten, Father Paul, Bonanno, and Nate. The first four soldiers stood upright on two legs, Nate, however, was missing his left leg. Still, Gracie seemed the most interested in him; like he reminded her of someone close. When she used her new toys, she pretended Nate got hurt and lost his leg, but in the end he saved the day. "You're ta hero," Gracie brought Paul closer to Nate. "I don't wanna be leader anymore, you deserf to be leader." She began to move Nate. "I'd be honored."

"Gracie," Tara entered the playroom, "we gotta go to the doctors!" Gracie began to whine. "Yeah, I know, but we gotta do it." Tara closed the door when Gracie stepped out.

"Clear!" Maggie informed.

Eliot made his way towards the new toys with Hardison, Parker, and Maggie following. "Hi, I'm Eliot; I'm the head toy here. Could you guys introduce yourself?"

Paul stepped forward. "I'm Paul; I'm the head of these soldiers."

Bonanno joined Paul. "I'm Bonanno, second in command."

Taggert and McSweeten introduced themselves and stood beside Paul.

Nate struggled to make his way to the other four. "I'm Nate," he introduced.

"Uh…" Hardison looked at him, "…you certainly distinguish yourself from the rest of the soldiers."

"Yeah, his eyes are a different shade of blue," Maggie pointed to his eyes to distract herself from his one leg.

"That's one thing."

"Oh, you mean the missing leg?" Parker so casually pointed out.

Nate looked down. "Yeah, the person who made us didn't have enough material left to finish my left leg. At least I have a right leg and a…gun...a weapon. I'm not sure what it is exactly but I have one." He gestured to what was supposed to be a gun resting under his arm.

"So do the other soldiers." Parker wasn't trying to sound insincere, but she did.

"Parker!" Maggie objected.

"She means well," Nate defended Parker.

"I'm sure she is in no way shape or form mean," McSweeten smiled at Parker. Taggert nudged him from the side in a small fit of jealousy.

"You're new, you have to suffer through the tour," Eliot used his paw to gesture the new toys to follow him. "Let's get it over with. Team up with a buddy or somethin', toys have gotten lost before. Stick with me, Hardison, Maggie, or Parker."

"I'd like to buddy with Parker!" McSweeten went over to Parker. Parker just feigned a smile. Taggert grumbled as he walked over to Hardison, who would be his tour buddy.

"I'd feel comfortable with the bear as my guide," Bonanno made his way over to Eliot.

"Would you like me to help guide you, Paul?" Maggie asked.

"Well…uh…" Paul cleared his throat, "Nate won't have someone to…"

"It's okay," Nate cut off Paul, "I'll follow you guys."

"Let's get this over with," Eliot began leading the new toys around Gracie's room.

The soldiers took in their new surroundings, exploring the views as either Eliot, Maggie, or Hardison explained what they were looking at.

"This is the castle," Eliot pointed to the castle. "This is where we'll be treated to a special show tonight with our ballerina, Sophie."

Nate glanced at the ballerina gracefully dancing in the center. The one thing he took special notice of was, like himself, she was only one her right foot. As everyone was moving forward, Nate stayed back to watch her. When she turned toward his direction and he caught a glimpse of her face, he was instantly in love.

Ignoring the tour group, he hobbled over toward Sophie. "Hi." When he stood in front of her, she was leaning forward, looking down (having been interrupted mid-dance). She looked up when she noticed him.

Then she stood on her two feet. "Hello."

He looked a bit dismayed when he noticed her left leg beside her right leg. "I saw you over here and I wanted to introduce myself. I'm Nate; I'm from the collection of soldiers Gracie got."

"I'm Sophie," her hand seemed to fit perfectly in his when she shook it. "If you're new, aren't you supposed to be on the tour? You could get us both into a lot of trouble if you don't rejoin them."

"I'm sorry, but I just had to meet you. I noticed you…on one leg."

"Oh," Sophie understood what he meant. "I was dancing."

"Dancing?"

"You don't know what dancing is?"

"I've heard of dancing, but I don't really know what it is. If that's what you were doing, you do it well."

"Thank you." She took his hands, "but that was just a solo dance. Maybe I could teach you some partner dancing."

"Wouldn't that require two legs?"

"Why don't I teach you how to spin and dip me? That really doesn't require two legs." She demonstrated what to do. Nate put his gun to the side, and then did what she taught him to do so effortlessly. "See, you might not have steady legs, but you do have steady arms. The arms are what's key for spinning and dipping."

"I'll keep that in mind," he smirked.

Sophie began dancing around him. Just to tease him, she tapped his right shoulder, but quickly moved to his left as he looked over his right side. She did this a few more times before doing her own little solo dance. When she looked back where he was standing, he wasn't there. "Huh?" She moved closer to where he should have been standing.

She stopped when Nate tapped her on her left shoulder, and she glanced to her left while he moved to the right. He repeated this until she spun around and faced him. "I didn't know that was dancing."

Sophie giggled. "Oh that, I was just playfully teasing you."

"Oh. Well, it was still fun."

Sophie smiled at him. "Now, you're going to catch me."

"Catch you?"

"I run into your arms, and you lift me into the air and spin me. I know you can spin."

"What if I drop you?"

"You won't."

"How do you know?"

"I trust you," she smirked. She began doing her own little dance before running towards Nate. As he was told, he took her in his steady arms, lifted her in the air, spun her, and gently put her down in front of him. "See-"

"-steady arms," he softly finished what she was going to say. He leaned in closer to kiss Sophie, but she backed away.

"You should get back with the tour," she softly suggested.

"I…I probably should." He put his gun back under his arm and left her to find his group, but he just couldn't force himself to. He stood to the side and watched her practice her solo dancing.

"If I were you, I'd back off."

Nate braced himself as if he was going to battle. "Who's there?"

Sterling tapped him on the shoulder. "Am I to assume you're new?"

"Who are you? And why didn't you make music when you popped out?"

"You know how I'm supposed to work, bravo. I can push open my lid, I have arms you know. Name's Sterling. Listen, if I were you, I would back off. I saw what was going on. It's obvious you love her, but she doesn't return the feeling."

"That's not true."

"Why, because of the partner dancing? She knows how to dance, she was merely teaching you. She trusts you as a dancing partner, and nothing more. I saw how she backed away when you leaned in for a kiss."

"I don't believe you!"

"You're in denial. You know it's true, but you refuse to believe me. Think about what would happen if she met another soldier, one with two legs. Imagine the dancing she could do with a two-legged partner. One like…Paul, for example."

"How do you know about Paul?"

"I have ears too. I can also peek out to see what's going on. I saw how Maggie chose to be his guide over you. Face it Nate, you can, and will never be loved." Sterling prepared to descend into his box. "And Gracie only plays with you out of pity. You're always the one getting hurt, aren't you? You lose your…leg, don't you?" Sterling chuckled as he closed the lid on his box.

If Nate had another leg to keep himself balanced, he would've kicked that box in anger.

…

"I'll do anyting to protet the ballewina pwincess," Gracie was making Paul speak. "Tonight, you guys," she gestured to Taggert and Bonanno, "'cause you're the strongest will block the castle from ta scary Jack-in-ta-Box." She picked up McSweeten and moved him closer to the Parker doll. "I'll protet Miss Dolly."

Tara stood in the doorway smiling at Gracie's imagination. "Gracie, pizza's here,"

"PIZZA!" She ran to the kitchen

Tara laughed. "I knew that'd get her," she said to herself before following Gracie.

"Clear!" Maggie warned.

"Wow…" McSweeten was trying to flirt with Parker, "that was some fun playtime right there."

"Do you like me or something McSweeten?" Parker raised an eyebrow.

"Well…Gracie likes us together, that's kinda obvious." Taggert used his gun to hit McSweeten upside the head. "OW!"

"Sorry, just practicing guarding the castle tonight." Taggert's apology was sarcastic.

"So, do you and Taggert work together?" Parker asked.

McSweeten continued to rub his head. "Yeah, whenever we've been played with, we're always getting separated to fight different battles than the other three; sometimes Nate would join us though. Then again, we've only been played by boys."

"INCOMING!" Eliot shouted.

"Incoming?" Parker looked around. "Haven't heard that one in a while."

McSweeten was both confused and panicked. "What does that mean?"

"Sam," Parker started to scatter.

"What's a Sam?"

A dog knocked over McSweeten as he began to sniff around. Sam took notice of Nate trying to get away as fast as he could. Sam made his way in front of the toy soldier. "Uh…" Nate looked up at the dog, "…good boy?" Sam began to lick the soldier. This caused Nate to fall back. "Stop it! Stop! Quit it!"

"Sam!" Eliot called to the dog. "Back off!"

"Where's that dumb dog?" Eliot froze as Tara got closer to the playroom. "There you are," she grabbed Sam by the collar and pulled him out. "You're not supposed to be in here!" She shut the door.

Eliot went over to help Nate up. "You alright?"

"Yeah." Eliot helped wiped Nate's face. "I think he likes me. Can he understand us?"

"Yeah, he's a dog; it's cool to be alive around him. Shoulda mentioned him on the tour earlier."

"That would've been a good idea."

"You wouldn't have listened anyway. You were dancing with our ballerina princess, according to Maggie and Hardison."

"Ballerina princess?"

"That's what Gracie calls Sophie."

"Sophie?" Nate made it seem as though he didn't know what Eliot was talking about.

"Don't pretend like you don't know her. I saw you two together too, and a minute ago I heard Sophie singing while she was practicing. Sophie doesn't sing unless she's really happy about something. Earlier, she was really nervous. When I saw her a minute ago, she seemed really happy, singing a love song to herself."

"Really?"

"I noticed Sterling pokin' his head outta his box starin' at her. I know he likes her, but she don't like him. From what Maggie and Hardison say, she seems to like you."

"As a dance partner," Nate remembered what Sterling said.

Eliot chuckled. "At one point or another, me, Hardison, even Parker have danced with Sophie. She never lets us dance with her like that…and she just met you today." Eliot turned to leave. "Don't believe what Sterling says."

Nate smiled to himself. He decided to make another visit to the castle. "Hi Sophie!"

Sophie stopped dancing and waved excitedly to him. "Hi Nate! Can you tell me what you think of my dancing?" She performed a dance for him.

He applauded her. "I like it, really I do."

In a moment of excitement, she kissed his cheek. "I hope I'll see you tonight at the show."

"You will."

"Good! I mean…I know you can't control where you're going to sit, but promise me I'll be able to spot you out in the crowd."

"You could if I was standing." Sophie began giggling. "You found that funny?"

"The way you said it was funny."

"Oh," he started to laugh, "I guess I did say it kinda funny. I didn't really mean to though."

"Maybe you're just naturally funny," Sophie smiled at him as she danced off.

"Ooh," Hardison teased as he jingled past Nate. "Nate loves Sophie! Nate loves Sophie!"

"Shut up, Hardison," Nate was slightly embarrassed.

"I'm happy about this," Hardison smiled. "It's not every day two toys who weren't made for each other fall in love."

"McSweeten fell in love with Parker."

"They ain't goin' nowhere. You and Sophie stand a chance."

"You think so?"

"Definitely."

"You know what I think."

Hardison's eyes widened. "I know what you're gettin' at; I do not like Parker!"

"I was going to say I think you need to work on your grammar. There was a double negative in 'they ain't goin' nowhere', work on your grammar."

"Oh. Then…disregard that last statement." Nate smirked at Hardison. "Pretend I never said what I said."

…

Gracie set up her toys along the castle. She noticed the closed Jack-in-the-Box. "You're a toy too, you count." She unwound the Jack-in-the-Box until Sterling popped out. She jumped a bit, but shrugged it off. "You can watch from your box." Gracie picked up Nate. "You're hurted; you sit up fwont so you can see," Gracie set Nate in front. She then picked up the Parker doll. "Psst," she made Parker whisper behind the castle, "are you ready?" Gracie shook Sophie, implying a nod. "Okay!" Gracie made Parker face the 'audience'. "Ladies and gentamen, toys and girl; pwesentin' ballerwina pwincess Sophie." Gracie put Sophie in the center of the castle and made her dance. Somewhere among the 'show', Parker joined Sophie in a dance. "Now," Parker was facing the 'audience' again, "it's time where Sophie picks someone from ta crowd to dance wiff her. Who wants to dance wiff Sophie?" Gracie moved Nate. "I wanna dance with ta pwincess." She made Nate take center before focusing on Sophie. "I'll dance wiff him." Gracie moved his movable arms and put them around Sophie, and with two hands she made Nate and Sophie spin around. When she decided she was done, she gestured for Sophie closer to Nate. "You're a good dancer, Nate." She pretended that Sophie kissed Nate. Gracie proceeded to yawn and set her toys down. "I'm tired." She left her room.

When the door shut, the toys applauded. Sophie curtseyed as if she performed the show completely on her own. She went into the audience and brought Nate next to her. "Take a bow, you earned it too."

Nate waved to the toys. "I'm afraid if I bow, I'll fall over."

Sophie giggled. "Then I suppose I'll wave too," She took his left hand in her right hand and together they waved to the crowd.

This did not go unnoticed by Sterling. "I have to get rid of him."

…

Gracie entered the playroom the next afternoon with someone new. "Tis is my toy woom."

A little boy followed. "Yuck, I don't wanna play in here; there's too many girl stuff."

"I am a girl!"

"Whatever, I wanna play with your _Play-Doh_."

"Aunt Tara keeps it in a shelf in ta living woom, I can only play wiff it at ta table."

"I wanna play with the _Play-Doh_."

"But I wanna play toys."

"My mama and your aunt said we're s'posed to keep each other company; which means I have to babysit a three year old girl or I get in trouble if somethin' happens. Take some toys and we'll play in the kitchen."

"Okay." Gracie picked up her soldiers and put them in their box before picking up Eliot, Parker, Maggie, and Sophie. "I can't bwing my castle to ta table."

"So."

"My ballewina needs a castle!"

"Use the stupid Jack-in-the-Box as the castle. Come on, I wanna make _Play-Doh _dinosaurs!"

"Okay!" Gracie put the smaller toys on top of the Jack-in-the-Box. "Aunt Tara, can we use _Play-Doh_?"

"At the table," Gracie and Casey made their way to the table as Tara took the _Play-Doh _down from a living room shelf. "Lay out newspapers, okay." Tara opened the window beside the table. "This should get a nice breeze goin' so it doesn't get too hot. If it starts to rain, close it, okay."

Casey nodded as he took a newspaper and laid it out on the table. "Do you wanna use _Play-Doh_?"

"No," Gracie began to play with her toys.

"I think ballerinas are stupid," Casey interrupted her midway through her playing.

"Well I tink you're stupid."

"You're more stupid and you have cooties!"

"Do not!"

"Do too! All girls have cooties!"

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah!" Gracie stopped what she was doing and gave Casey a kiss on his cheek. "HEY!"

"Now you got cooties too!"

"Get away from me!" Casey began to run away, but Gracie chased him. And when he went outside, so did she. Because they needed to keep an eye on the kids, Tara and Casey's mother followed them outside.

Standing on top of the jack in the box was Maggie, Sophie, Paul, Bonanno, and Nate. Maggie looked around. "I think we're clear."

"Already?" Eliot questioned.

"What do we do now?" Parker inquired.

"Why don't we make items with that strange goo," Taggert suggested.

"_Play-Doh._"

"Aristotle?" Taggert thought she said 'Plato'.

"She said '_Doh_'," McSweeten sounded out. "Listen more clearly, buddy." Taggert hit McSweeten upside the head. "Hey!"

Bonanno made his way off the top of the box and separated the partners before a fight broke out. "I think that sounds like a nice idea, Parker." He took McSweeten aside, "so long as these two keep a safe distance apart."

"Yeah!" Hardison agreed. "I can make pig prints!"

"What?" Eliot growled.

"Like paw prints, but for pigs. Pig prints." The teddy bear rolled his eyes.

Paul was headed off the top of the box, when he gestured for Maggie and Sophie to get off first. "Ladies first."

"Thank you," Maggie thanked.

"How gentlemanly," Sophie complimented.

Paul waited for Nate. "Go ahead, Nate."

"Thanks." As Nate prepared to climb down, the box began to move closer to the open window.

Paul was both panicked and confused. "What's going on? Who's moving the box?"

"Sterling." Nate whistled for the other toys to come to their aid.

When he got close enough to the window, Sterling popped his lid open and the two soldiers went flying out the open window as the other toys (except Sterling) watched in horror.

Paul and Nate were quick thinkers. While midair, Paul freed his gun from under his arm to get it to cling to the windowsill while Nate had grabbed Paul's leg. If they were to fall, it wouldn't be far considering Tara lived on the first floor, but they would land on the hard ground.

The toys with thumbs reached for Paul's gun, Bonanno at the front because he was the strongest. They did their best to pull up the two soldiers. But Sterling wasn't giving up without a fight. Using his giant arms he stood at the end pushing the stick shaped gun forward to make sure that Nate wasn't coming back. When Eliot knocked over Sterling's box, Sterling managed a much stronger push moved everyone forward…including Nate.

"NATE!" Paul tried to reach for his friend, but Nate landed on the ground; thankfully, not in critical condition. Nate tried to reach for his friend, but he couldn't.

"I hear someone coming!" Hardison warned.

The toys scrambled to help Paul up before taking their original places. Before returning, Paul looked down at his friend. "I promise we'll get you back; no soldier left behind!" He made his way onto the top of the jack-in-the-box before any human entered the apartment.

"Hey," Gracie looked around the table, "my soldier's gone!" She glared at Casey. "Give it back!"

"Give what back?"

"I know you took my soldier!"

"Why would I take your stupid toys?"

"Aunt Tara! Aunt Tara!" Gracie ran to her aunt.

"Whatever she says it's not true!" Casey followed. The two kids began to simultaneously talk loudly around the adults.

"Okay, okay," Tara tried to keep them quiet. "I'm sure your missing toy is in the playroom somewhere."

"But-"

"-trust me, Gracie. Now go put your toys away, Casey's mom is taking us out to eat." Tara noticed the dark clouds and closed the window.

"Okay." Gracie grabbed her toys and put them back in the playroom before leaving.

"Poor Nate," Parker broke the silence.

"We gotta get him back!" Hardison was ready to leave.

"How?"

"I say we push Sterling out the window," Paul suggested.

"I have no objections," Eliot made his way toward Sterling.

"I'd like to see you try," Sterling sinisterly chuckled. "You're the strongest out of everyone, but you have no thumbs to lift my box. How are you going to stop me?" In a fit of rage, Eliot pulled the winder of off the box. "You think that's going to stop me?"

"We'll get you, Sterling."

"We'll see." Sterling sinisterly smiled as he made his way back to his place in the playroom.

Rain began to pour outside, and the raindrops tapped on the closed window. "What do we do now?" Parker asked.

"I say you stop asking questions and mind your P's and Q's," Eliot stomped off to one end of the playroom.

"I have to get him back," Paul headed out of the open door, but Maggie stopped him.

"We can't lose both of you," she softly said to him.

"No solider gets left behind, especially when that soldier's been your best friend for you entire life."

"Paul," Bonanno went to his side, "it's Nate. Nate is capable of anything. He'll find his way back to us."

"Guys," Parker led them to the empty box of soldiers. She gestured to the ballerina princess sobbing in Nate's empty place.

Paul climbed in beside her and rubbed her shoulder. "He'll be back."

Sophie looked up at him with tears in her eyes. "How do you know?"

"I…I don't…I just know he'll be back."

…

Nate stood outside trying to get back into the apartment through the window. He made no avail, and continued trying.

"Come on let's try it over here," Nate heard an approaching voice and got down on the ground. A boy noticed him still as a statue on the pavement. "Hey, he'll do."

"Cool," another boy agreed. "Check out the water going down the sewer."

"Perfect place to test the sailboat." The two boys kneeled on the ground. "Boat ready?"

The other boy put a homemade sailboat on the water that was being drained into the sewer. "Almost, we just need a sailor."

Nate was placed in the center of the boat. "Okay, let go!"

The two boys watched in amusement as Nate and the boat made their way into the sewer. When they heard a splash, they left laughing.

Nate began to panic. "Okay…I just have to think of a way outta here." He watched as the boat made its way down the sewer water. "I have to get back! I will get back! I just gotta get back!"

"Where do you think you're going?" A giant sewer rat resembling Chaos picked Nate off of the homemade sailboat. "Nobody gets past here without paying a toll."

"What toll?"

"If you wanna get through there," Chaos pointed to the sewer gate, "you gotta pay the toll. I accept food."

"I don't have anything."

"Then you don't pass."

"And then what happens?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Chaos snickered as Nate gazed around at a bunch of glaring red eyes.

Nate was sure he was going to be the toll, until his quick thinking gave him a quick idea. "You know, I personally don't have food on me, but my boat did."

"What?"

"And since you're letting it go, I suppose you and your friends don't get any cheese crumbs."

The rats scurried off in the direction of the boat as Nate hobbled along the sewer in the other direction. The rats tried to attack the ship, and they did succeed in tearing it apart, some drowned in the process.

Once Chaos looked back, he realized it was a trap. "He went the other way! Get him!"

The rats went in Nate's direction. At this point, Nate had found a way out and was trying to escape. Once he saw nearly a dozen rats gaining on him, he forced himself up onto a bar and made his way out with only a rat scratch. He made his way back to the side of Tara's apartment, which is where he was in the first place. "Maybe there's a back door."

"WOOF!"

Nate turned to his side and noticed the even bigger dog approaching him. He tried to get away, but fell. "Easy boy…nice doggy." Sam began to lick Nate. "Stop! Stop it!" Sam stopped. "How did…how did you get outside?" Sam led Nate behind the apartments to a homemade doggy door. Nate smacked himself on the face. "Of course, why didn't I think of that?" He climbed onto Sam's body and held onto his collar. "Get us back to the playroom, boy!"

…

Sophie returned to the castle where she only sat there watching the open door, waiting for Nate to go through it. The usually grumpy Eliot, who could care less about other people's lives, made his way over to Sophie and sat down beside her. "How ya holdin' up?"

Sophie turned away. "What do you care?"

"I do care. It may seem like I don't, but I do. I'm happy," she glared at him, "slightly happy when everyone else is happy. Why don't you try dancing, that always makes you happy."

"It won't anymore."

"Maybe if we tried smilin' somethin' good might happen." She looked up at him. "Come on, smile for me Sophie." She turned away. "What if I started dancin' would that make ya smile?" Eliot started dancing horribly. Sophie couldn't help but let out a small chuckle. "Atta girl, Soph!" He got her off her feet. "Come on, teach me some dancin'."

"Alright, let's start with…well you don't really have any thumbs, but you're still strong. So…why don't you try lifting me?"

"Okay," he picked her up.

"No, I do a small dance, run to you, then you catch me, lift me in the air, and spin me."

He put her down. "Oh, then why didn't you say a lift and spin?"

Sophie smiled at him as she began dancing. Noticing this, the other toys gathered around to watch. "Ready, Eliot?"

"Sure."

Sophie began to run to Eliot, but was stopped when another hand grabbed her by her foot. Sterling dangled her upside down as he brought her to his face. "Well, well, well I see we still carry on with our daily routines even when we lose a fellow toy?" Sterling put her upright in his other hand.

"Put me down!" She began pounding her fists against his giant hand.

This only made Sterling's grip tighten. "Unless I'm the only one you dance for or with, you're never dancing again."

"I'll never dance for you!"

"Then I have no other alternative but to break you." His grip got even tighter.

The soldier toys tried to fight off Sterling by poking him with their guns. This only made Sterling angrier. Moving toward the soldiers, he used his other arms to swipe them away.

Eliot decided to push the box forward, but Sterling put up a fight and tried to keep his box firmly on the ground. Until he got the idea to fall backwards, onto Eliot's foot. "Oops," Sterling laughed as the box crushed Eliot's foot. Pieces of Eliot's foot was lying on the ground.

"Time to take charge," Hardison ran as fast as he could toward Sterling trying to surprise attack him. Unfortunately, he jingled. Sterling was able to stop Hardison, by knocking him over.

"Hardison!" The Parker doll ran over to the piggy bank. "You okay?"

"I think I'm scratched."

"Come on," Sterling went over to the small bookshelf on the other side of the room and took books off the bottom of the shelf to make himself stairs while still clutching Sophie in his other hand. Sterling struggled to climb the mountain of books. He stopped at the top book. "I'm going to ask you again, Sophie, are you going to be mine?" Sophie spat at him. "Alright," he dangled her over the mountain of books. "Any last words?"

"WOOF!" Sam made his way into the playroom with Nate on his back. Nate jumped off of the dog.

"NATE!" Sophie screamed for her hero.

He turned around to find his princess being dangled by his enemy. "Sophie." Bravely, he began to climb the mountain of books.

Sterling rolled his eyes and made his way to the top of the small bookshelf. "I see I have to get rid of him once and for all as well." He pushed the top books so that they would fall. "Goodbye, Nate," with one final push, the mountain of books began to collapse.

"NO!" Sophie cried out.

It was too late. Nate was trapped under a mountain of books. Sterling looked down and saw nothing but the pile of books, and Nate's gun to the side. He began to laugh. "I win! I actually win! Ha! HA! I WIN! This is what accomplishment feels like."

Parker, Maggie, and the soldiers ran even faster to the mountain of books and began digging while an injured Eliot helped Hardison off the ground. Once Hardison was up, he and Eliot went to the wreckage. Sam even helped by moving the books with his nose and mouth.

An unconscious Nate was in the center of the wreckage, slightly crushed. Paul shook his best friend. "Nate? Nate?"

"Come on," Eliot picked up the unconscious soldier, "you gotta get up and save Sophie."

Maggie began to cry, Paul did his best to comfort her without shedding a tear himself. "He's broken," Parker broke the silence.

Eliot set Nate down on the ground. Sam began to sniff the soldier. Doing what he thought would work, Sam began to lick Nate. "Get outta here, mutt!" Eliot commanded.

The toys heard a moan. Nate slowly got back on his foot. "Dumb dog."

"Nate!" They gathered around him.

"If I'm ever going to break, it's not going to be because of someone like Sterling!" He went to the wreckage of books. "Stack a few books together, but not to the top. You guys are going to help me up to the top."

"What are you going to do?" Parker inquired.

"I'm going to break him."

…

Sterling put Sophie down on the shelf. "Dance for me!"

"No," she objected.

He forcibly twirled her around. "Dance for me!"

She managed to break free. "No!"

"If you don't do what I tell you to do, I am going to break you."

"Gracie will be upset."

"I can make it look like the dog did it. The door was left opened after all."

"Then break me!"

Sterling growled. "What do you see in that soldier? He's not really a toy because he's incomplete. He's garbage."

"You're garbage! He's more of a toy than you'll ever be, and he has more talent in his missing leg than you do in your whole body, box included!" She turned around in a huff.

Sterling screamed in anger. "Alright!" He grabbed the ballerina princess and dangled her off of the small bookshelf. "Consider your wish to be broken granted."

As Sophie braced herself to be dropped, Sterling screamed. He had been struck in the eye with a soldier's gun. Sophie managed to get a glimpse of a one-legged soldier. "Nate!"

"Let her go, Sterling!" Nate ordered.

"Poor choice of words," Sterling dropped Sophie.

Nate ran to the side of the shelf and found Sophie dangling off of the top shelf. "Sophie!"

"Nate, help!" She was holding on with both hands.

"Hold on, Sophie!"

Sterling grabbed Nate. "How many times do I have to kill you?" Nate bit down on Sterling's soft arm. Surprised by this maneuver (and in a bit of pain after being bitten), Sterling dropped Nate aside. Still on the top of the bookshelf, Nate used this opportunity to sneak behind Sterling to push him off of the bookshelf. But his box was too heavy for just Nate to move.

Sterling evilly chuckled as he picked Nate up. "Did you of all toys really think you could stop me?"

"I can stop you Sterling!"

"How are you going to do that when you're about to break?"

"A good soldier never leaves a man behind!"

"What? That doesn't make sense; and if it did, it wouldn't apply here."

"NOW!"

Sterling felt his box beginning to slide forward. Parker, Maggie, and the other soldiers were using all their might to push him forward.

"No! NO!" The toys succeeded in pushing Sterling off of the bookshelf. And because Nate was in Sterling's clutches, Nate went down too.

Sterling's open box fell with a giant thud onto the playroom floor, crushing Sterling's arm. In more pain, and near broken, he began moving his box toward Nate. With his free, uninjured hand, he began to strangle Nate. This did not go unnoticed by Sam. Sam growled and bit Sterling's other arm. This made Sterling let go of Nate. The dog then began to attack the evil toy.

Down, but not out, Nate headed to the bookshelf where his beloved was dangling. "Let go, Sophie!" He instructed.

"I can't!"

"Yes you can. Let go of the shelf!"

"No!" She had her eyes closed.

"Let go and I'll catch you, I promise."

"I can't."

"Yes you can. Just…just pretend this is a dance, like I'm about to dip you, but with a catch first."

"No," she was still afraid to let go.

"Do you trust me?" Sophie didn't answer. "If you trust me, let go. I promise I will catch you."

Sophie took a deep breath as she let go of the shelf. As anyone would usually do, she closed her eyes and screamed. Her screaming ceased when she landed in the arms of her steadfast tin soldier. She wrapped her arms around his neck. "Oh, Nate!"

"See, steady arms." As he leaned in to kiss her, the toys heard approaching footsteps. "To be continued," he set Sophie down and laid on the ground as still as a statue.

"Sam!" The first thing Gracie noticed was Sam with a broken jack out of the box. "Sam, you broken my toy!" She picked up the destroyed Jack-in-the-Box and shrugged. "I didn't like him anyways." She carried Sterling to the kitchen and dropped him in the trash can.

Tara dragged the dog out of the playroom by the collar. "Bad dog!" She met with Gracie in the hallway, "this is why we close the playroom door, Gracie."

"Okay." Gracie went back into the playroom. "Hey!" She picked up Nate. "I musta dropped you." She examined the soldier. "Sam musta got him too!" She noticed Eliot. "Sam got him too!" She reached into her pants pocket. "Tis napkin from the ressaraunt will be your Band-Aid," she wrapped it around Eliot's injured foot. "I hope Sam didn't get my ballewina," she looked in the castle. "Where's my ballewina?" She looked around and found the ballerina princess beside her steadfast tin soldier. Confused at how she got there, Gracie just shrugged it off. "I guess I'm tired." She headed for the door. "But firs, I gotta set up sometin'."

Gracie headed over near the castle. Nate glanced over at Sophie, "why aren't you back at the castle," he whispered.

"I wanted to be with you," she whispered back. "You're not going anywhere unless it's with me."

Gracie picked up the princess and the soldier. "Okay." She placed them in the center of the castle in front of Paul. "I'll come back in ta mornin'," she smiled. She left the playroom humming '_Here Comes the Bride_'.

Eliot chuckled to himself. "Like I didn't see that coming."

Parker didn't understand. "See what coming?"

"We gonna have ourselves a weddin'," Hardison happily chuckled.

"Are we getting married, Hardison?"

"What? No?" Eliot was laughing. "No, you and I are gonna to be witnessin' a weddin'."

Parker's eyes lit up. "Are Nate and Sophie getting married?"

"I see no reason why they can't get married right now," Paul smiled. "I have acted as a reverend before, remember boys?" Nate and the other soldiers laughed. "But first," Paul removed the medal around his neck. "For going above and beyond the call of duty in the face of certain defeat, I present this to Nate," Paul placed the medal around Nate's neck.

"Paul," Nate felt the medal, "this is yours. You've always been…"

"I think it's time for a change. And we all agree you are a helluva lot more qualified than I am."

"Hell yeah!" Hardison cheered.

"Dammit Hardison," Eliot snarled, "don't swear!"

Nate admired the medal. "I don't know what to say."

"Well, I think you will know what to say when I prompt you," Paul gestured to Sophie and raised an eyebrow to Nate in the process. "I'll keep this short just in case anything else should happen. Nate, do you take Sophie?"

He took Sophie's hands in his. "I do."

"Sophie, do you take Nate?"

Sophie kept her brown eyes focused on his blue eyes. "I do."

"I now pronounce you toy husband and toy wife; and by marrying a ballerina princess, Nate is a certified prince. But enough prolonging, go on and kiss your princess."

Nate leaned in for a kiss. This time, it was successful.

"Let's go to the plastic xylophone and celebrate!" Eliot led the others to the plastic xylophone.

As Sophie began to follow them, Nate stopped her. "Nate, what are you…" He began dancing with his wife. She smiled and followed his lead.

He leaned his arms back for her to fall into. "I promise I'll be the only one to catch you if you fall."

"I wouldn't have it any other way." He leaned down to her level and kissed her.

**…**

_After putting their daughter to bed and changing into a nightgown, Sophie crawled into bed with her husband. "I guess this is nice," she looked around the downstairs. "I mean, you don't have to go up and down stairs. They could've moved some clothes down here though."_

"_Moving the bed down here does make moving less of an issue. Privacy…well"_

_Sophie let out a watery laugh. "You think they know about the baby?" She changed the subject._

"_It's possible." Nate nodded._

"_You know, I can't thank you enough for what you did earlier."_

_Nate put his hand on her flat stomach. "I didn't want two people to get hurt."_

"_I can't believe there's another one in there."_

"_I can," Nate smirked. Sophie slapped him. He just laughed._

"_What do you think it's going to be?"_

"_I don't really care."_

"_Well, wouldn't you rather have another boy?" Nate sighed. "Oh," Sophie realized she brought up his son. "Nate, I'm sorry."_

"_What do you have to be sorry for? You asked a question. To be honest, I don't think I want another boy; I mean I wouldn't mind if it was, I'd still love him. But I deal with enough boys on a daily basis. There's Eliot, Hardison, Parker acts more like a boy than she does a girl, we hear about Tara constantly talking about failed relationships with men, over ninety five percent of our marks are men, Eliot's nephew is staying with us for a while, our dog is male, and I'm a guy. And it is hard to duplicate perfection." Sophie slapped him again. "You're abusive tonight."_

"_So you'd prefer another girl?"_

"_Not as much as your daughter. You know when we went shopping for Mother's Day she told me I should get you something."_

"_You did."_

"_I wasn't planning on buying you anything. So I asked what I should get you, and she said 'can you get Mommy to get me a sister'?"_

_Sophie smiled. "She did?"_

"_Of course she asked this a bit loudly and in the store, so I said 'maybe for Mommy's birthday'." Sophie and Nate laughed. Nate stopped and looked at his wife. "I love you."_

"_I love you too."_

"_I really…" he began kissing her neck, "…really," his lips made his to hers, "...love you."_

"_No, Nate."_

_Nate groaned and fell back on his side of the bed. "Could you at least itch my leg?"_

_Sophie sighed and itched his injured leg. "You're lucky it's only a broken leg."_

"_Plus a couple stitches on the side of my head."_

"_It could have been worse."_

"_That car could've hit you. And I'll be damned if I let that happen."_

"_You're my hero. You know that right?"_

"_That's been brought up on more than one occasion, yes." Husband and wife kissed each other before going to sleep._

_Before the team knew it, moving day had fallen upon them. Even though the apartment had been a source of memories for a few happy years, it was time to move on to bigger things. Of course they were still going to continue doing cons and meet clients at _McRory's_, they were just relocating headquarters and moving in together. The house was in a more wealthy area of town amongst bigger, fancier houses._

"_Wow!" Gracie's eyes widened. This was the first time she had seen the house in person, and not just in a picture._

"_You like it?" Her father asked her._

"_It's so big!" She looked up at the new house._

"_That's because well all be living together," Sophie reminded._

"_Where are everyone else?"_

"_With the moving truck," Nate answered. "We got here first so you can pick your room."_

"_I get to pick my own woom?"_

_Nate laughed. "Yep." Gracie hugged her father and began heading toward the house. "If you wanna get in, you need the key!"_

_Gracie headed back toward her father, but not before a familiar looking figure moving closer to her made her stop. "Hello."_

_She screamed and ran behind her father's leg. _

_Nate looked up. "Sterling," he sighed, "please tell me you don't live here."_

"_I have for the past two years," Sterling responded. "She yours?" He waved to the girl, but she buried her face in her father's leg. "How does she know about me?"_

"_We've been teaching her who's good and who's bad."_

"_Am I to assume I'm bad?"_

"_You're really, really, evil." Nate smirked._

"_Charming, Nate." Sterling moved closer. "Look, since we're going to be neighbors, I suggest we bury the hatchet." Sterling held out his hand._

_Nate didn't shake it. "We'll see. I'll warn my team about you. Until then, I suggest you leave before Eliot sees you through the moving truck and runs you over."_

"_Let me know when you tell them, I'd like to meet your wife."_

"_I think it's safe to say you already have."_

_Sterling noticed Sophie glaring at him. He chuckled to himself. "I don't know why this surprises me."_

_Eliot pulled up in a moving truck. "Nate," he went over to Nate, "that wasn't who I think it was, was it?"_

"_Thank you for resisting the urge to run him over," Nate said to him. "Let's start unloading some boxes."_

_Sophie went over to her husband. "What was that all about, Nate?"_

_Nate kissed her cheek. "Nothing."_

_Settling into a new place was strange for Gracie. Even though her father had done their goodnight ritual, she still couldn't sleep. That night, she made her way into her parents room. "Daddy," she shook her father's arm. "Daddy."_

"_Hm…" he sleepily looked around before noticing his daughter. "Hi, Gracie."_

"_I can't sleep."_

"_Why not?"_

"_I'm scared."_

"_Of what?"_

"_I never slept in a new woom tat big."_

"_You'll get used to it."_

"_Can I sleep wiff you and Mommy tonight?"_

_Nate groaned. This caused Sophie to stir. "What's wrong, Nate?"_

"_Someone is afraid to sleep in their room," he responded._

_Sophie sat up in bed and looked at Gracie. "If Daddy and I let you sleep in here tonight, will you promise to sleep in your new room from now on?"_

_Gracie nodded. Nate picked up his daughter and put her in the middle of the bed. "One night, okay?" Gracie nodded. "Okay. Can I have a kiss?" Gracie kissed her father. "Say good night, Gracie."_

"_Good night Gracie." Gracie kissed her mother's stomach. "Good night, baby."_

_Sophie kissed her daughter's forehead. "Good night, sweetie."_

"_Night Mommy," she turned on her side and began to sleep._

_Nate smiled at his wife. Sophie took notice of this. "What are you smiling at?"_

"_What aren't I smiling? Everything that makes me smile is in this bed."_

_Sophie smiled back at him. "You can be so cheesy sometimes."_

"_It's 'cause I love ya," he gave her a kiss. "Night, Sophie."_

"_Good night Nate."_

_Why didn't Nate have a reason to smile; he was perfectly happy with his life. And he had to admit it was because of Sophie. Sophie was the woman he really loved, the mother of his child (children by next April), they had a history. To Nate, Sophie was…_

_The Maid Marian to his Robin Hood_

_The Jasmine to his Aladdin_

_The Cinderella to his Prince Charming_

_His sleeping beauty, even when she was awake_

_The beauty to his beast_

_The princess to his prince_

_But most importantly; she was the Sophie to his Nate. And that was all he needed to live happily ever after_

* * *

**THE END! YAY! It's posted on another delay, death is a bitch and we've been trying to get our lives on track. Here's a list**

**Nate: The Steadfast Tin Soldier**

**Sophie: Ballerina**

**Eliot: original character, a teddy bear (the teddy bear Parker stole for Gracie in the last chapter)**

**Parker: another original character, a stuffed doll**

**Hardison: original, piggy bank**

**Tara: kinda like the mother to the kid, but I made her a guardian Aunt**

**Sterling: evil Jack-in-the-Box**

**Maggie: original, one of those little round **_**Fisher-Price**_** people little kids like playin' with**

**Chaos: there was a rat in the original story, he's the rat (I figured Hardison taught Gracie about Chaos so…)**

**Paul, Bonanno, Taggert & McSweeten: the soldiers that accompanied the steadfast tin soldier**

**Sam the dog: a fish was the reason the soldier got back home, but I replaced the fish with the dog**

**Gracie Ford (she gets her own part too): the kid who owns the toys**

**I also gotta give a shout-out to Casey Spencer who gave Gracie the soldier in the first place. As I have referenced myself before even by name (first name in chapter 5, last name in chapter 6 hint, hint) I referenced a cousin of mine but I liked the name Casey and I thought Casey Spencer sounded like a nice name. Oh, the **_**Play-Doh**_**/Plato thing was based on something that actually happened between me and my friend.**

**Boy, I thought it was hard to write for Nate. Take my word, it's harder to write for a three year old.**

**Also, I decided to put in a subtle Parker/Hardison for you Parker/Hardison fans. I personally don't care who Parker ends up (she can end up with McSweeten for all I care) as long as Nate ends up with Sophie.**

**And with that, I conclude this story. Thanks for stickin' with me**


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